“Rose bushes are like families. You have to prune both.” According to this quote from the film, is personal freedom only possible if you cut ties with family members? A film about family ties, trauma, and healing.
Four American siblings, Jack, Ed, Anna, and Robert, live together with their blind father in a luxurious Spanish villa. They are isolated from the outside world and, thanks to their wealth, do not have to work. The siblings seem to be very dependent on each other. And they seem to constantly need reassurance from each other about their appearance: Do I look pretty? Do you like my new sunglasses?A Glimpse Into the Abyss
Manslaughter. Manipulation. Intrigue. Lies. Incest. Psychological terror. Patriarchy. Rosebush Pruning (2026), a co-production involving Italian, German, Spanish, and British participants, is not a film for the faint-hearted. Despite, or perhaps because of, the sometimes extreme scenes, the film raises existential questions: Who am I without my family? What are my values?It is only through the presence of a person outside the family circle that the dysfunctions of the four siblings come to light.
Every family has rules of conduct and an unspoken code. Every family has certain things that are important. For siblings Jack, Ed, Anna, and Robert, strikingly white teeth and expensive fashion brands such as Bottega, Chanel, Miu Miu, Balenciaga, and Cartier are of great importance. But so is finding true love. The eldest brother, Jack (Jamie Bell), seems to succeed in this when he meets the young student Martha, a budding concert guitarist played by Elle Fanning.
Jack's relationship with his own family is put to the test when Martha wants to meet his family. When he brings his fiancée to dinner, he tries to maintain a balance between the family code and his loyalty and love for Martha. But Jack quickly realizes that he has to make a decision.
Bloody Tragedy
You don't choose your family. “Blood is thicker than water,” as the saying goes. But is this enough to justify exposing oneself to trauma and destructiveness? A rose bush must be pruned to remain vital and healthy and to grow, but also to be able to bloom.The symbolism of blood is central to Rosebush Pruning. Blood as a sign of death. Menstrual blood as a sign of youth, sexuality, and fertility. Blood as a sign of mortality, vulnerability, and grief. The structure of the plot is reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.
It was directed by Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz. The script was written by Greek screenwriter Efthimis Filippou and is based on Marco Bellocchio's novel Fists in the Pocket (I pugni in tasca, 1965). Filippou is known for his work with Yorgos Lanthimos, among others. The parallels to Dogtooth (2009) are unmistakable in Rosebush Pruning: a family isolated from the outside world, ruled by a dominant father.
In Rosebush Pruning, Aïnouz paints a stark picture of a dysfunctional wealthy family and uses exaggerated satire to sharply criticize the traditional patriarchal order. The alternation between close-ups and bird's-eye views and the shift between fast-paced scenes and long sequences underscore the chaos and repressed trauma.
Painful Cuts
In the final minutes of the film, the melancholic sound of the bouzouki can be heard. The characters are seen from a bird's eye view. A well-known Greek song from the 1970s. In Epefte vathia siopi (A deep silence fell), Lefteris Papadopoulos sings about fallen yellow leaves and a red wound that won't heal:A red wound somewhere,
that won't close.
The little chapel
next to the spring.
And a yellow silence
in our old forest –
how can I forget you,
you whom the earth took.
Cutting hurts. But sometimes it is a survival strategy. When was the last time you cut roses?
February 2026