Baz Luhrmann, one of our foremost creators of pretty, empty things, has landed on his perfect gig: an extended commercial for a clothing line. “The Secret Life of Flowers” is a short film created by the Australian filmmaker for H&M’s new collaboration with London-based ready-to-wear brand Erdem.
The four-minute clip echoes not only Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby adaptation, but Grey Gardens and Great Expectations (particularly the 1998 Alfonso Cuarón adaptation, itself widely and inaccurately dismissed at the time of its release as a pale imitation of Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet). The film sounds great – it features a new song by Years & Years – and looks even better, but even in a four-minute commercial, Luhrmann can’t resist dialogue like “Normality is but a paved road. Comfortable to walk, yes, but no flowers grow on it.”
Take a look:
Luhrmann says the film is “like a metaphor for our times—it’s harsh out there in the world, but in here, the things that really matter keep growing in an eternal spring.” Deep.