A Golly Pod garden by Tend
Maybe it’s all this spring weather we’re having here in Texas, but lately I’ve had plants on the brain. Which is why I keep noticing them in the movies I’m watching… What strikes me as particularly interesting is the way that films about outsiders integrate unusual plant life into the homes of the main characters. These are characters who defy the rules of their oppressive societies, go against the wishes of their employers, and spend their off hours engaged in illegal activities for the greater good. They barely have time to shower. But boy, do they have amazing plants in their apartments!
Below we see a highly brightened screen shot from Blade Runner. Our main character Deckard has an apartment like a dungeon. But there must be enough light in the kitchen to support a few succulents–can you see them on and above the counter behind Harrison Ford in the image below?
Harrison Ford in Blade Runner
If Blade Runner were filmed today, perhaps the inside of Deckard’s apartment would feature a couple of Golly Pods by Tend, shown below in an image from DigsDigs. Is it me, or does the alien-like look of succulents make them perfect for these planters?…
Golly Pods (Image courtesy of DigsDigs)
Our next featured film is not from the ’80s, but its renegade plant-loving main character makes it well worth mentioning. If you haven’t seen Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46, you’re in for a treat. Seriously. It’s rare that a science fiction film completely pulls you into its world. Throw in the acting talents of Samantha Morton and Tim Robbins, and you have true sci-fi gold. In this movie from 2003, our heroine Maria (played by Morton) has a way with plants. She claims the growth process of her greenery is scientifically controlled. But surely her unusual charm has something to do with it…
Samantha Morton in Code 46
If Code 46 were made today, perhaps Maria’s plants would rest inside of these IV Plant Pots by Vitamin, complete with water drips…
IV Plant Pots (Image from ThisNext)
Or perhaps she’d have an Eco Orb from Tend…
An Eco Orb from Tend
…or one of Tend’s Wall Bubble Gardens…
Wall Bubble Garden by Tend
Why do the outsiders in science fiction films have a way with plants? Maybe their subversiveness and ability to see past their suffocating surroundings make them more connected to the hope of a new life. Both characters in today’s post live in worlds where sunlight is limited or dangerous. The fact that plants thrive in their dwellings just might hint at the fact that these individuals are touched by something greater than the nightmarish societies they inhabit…
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