Written by Anna Greenfield, “Late Bloomers” is an endearing late-coming-of-age comedy-drama that follows a 28-year-old woman from Brooklyn. It shows her getting hospitalized after an accident and meeting a cranky, old Polish female patient. As her financial problems rise, she decides to take on the job of the woman’s caretaker. That brings a whole new set of issues and lessons in her life. Directed by Lisa Steen, the film stars Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) in the lead role. Besides her, the film stars Margaret Sophie Stein, Jermaine Fowler, Talia Balsam, Margaret Sophie Stein, and Kevin Nealon.
Spoilers Ahead
Late Bloomers (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Lisa Steen’s “Late Bloomers” follows a 28-year-old woman’s journey as she decides to take on the job of an old woman’s caretaker after an accident. The film follows her journey of growth and realization as she navigates her life in Brooklyn.
What is ‘Late Bloomers’ about?
“Late Bloomers” is about 28-year-old Louise (Karen Gillan) in Brooklyn with financial issues. She shares an apartment with Brick (Jermaine Fowler), the son of a once-popular pop star, who left a fortune in Brick’s name, including his Brooklyn apartment. A while ago, Louise broke up with her boyfriend. Even though he moved on with his life, she stayed hung up on him. One night, she impulsively decides to show up at his doorstep. But he doesn’t show his face. So, she climbs outside his window, hoping to get in. During that desperate attempt, she falls, and so does her phone. Soon after, she finds herself in a hospital.
Louise & Antonina’s Meeting
Louise realizes that she will need crutches to walk for a while. As if that’s not enough, she finds herself annoyed by her hospital roommate – Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein), a cranky, old Polish woman. Antonina cannot speak English. So, she doesn’t respond to any of Louise’s questions. The next morning, she turns the TV volume so high that it wakes up Louise. Louise tells Antonina to turn it down. But Antonina keeps raising the volume. So, Louise calls the nurse, who takes Antonina to another room. During the further recovery sessions, she joins old women, including Antonina. They talk about the young generation being the worst, which makes Louise feel worse about herself.
Later, on her way back home, Louise waits at a bus stop with Antonina. Soon after, she realizes that the bus will be pretty late. So, she hails a cab and offers Antonina a ride. Louise drops Antonina off at a location only to realize that she doesn’t live there. So, she gets out of the cab and walks along with her. Antonina walks into a pharmacy store and starts pushing around their products. The shopkeeper asks Louise to make Antonina stop. But Louise takes Antonina’s side and joins her in displacing things. Louise feels bad for Antonina and lets her stay at Brick’s apartment for the night. The next morning, she hears her father, Al’s (Kevin Nealon) voice message. He reveals that he may not be able to help her because of his financial issues. It brings back Louise’s memories of her mother.
Louise’s Past Regrets
Louise’s mother, Dorothy (Talia Balsam), suffers from Alzheimer’s. In its early stages, Louise didn’t take care of her mother as she should have. One day, she decided to leave Dorothy on her own in their house. Once Louise drove away, Dorothy wandered off. It created further complications in Dorothy’s condition. Louise holds a grudge against herself for not doing enough for her ailing mother. Because of this, she feels pity for Antonina. So, she takes her to the cinema. After the movie, she walks Antonina back to her house.
Antonina’s Truth
Louise walks Antonina to her house and learns that Antonina’s granddaughter, Sylvia (Margaret Sophie Stein) was worried about her lost grandmother. Initially, she questions Louise’s intentions. But she soon realizes that Louise only wants to help Antonina. Sylvia says that she has many responsibilities, which makes it hard to find time to take care of Antonina. She also reveals that the pharmacy store Antonina walked into is in the same building she once used to live at. It was demolished and turned into shops. That’s why Antonina was angry in the pharmacy store and started pushing things around.
Sylvia can’t find a caretaker who will agree to be with the grumpy Antonina. So, she asks Louise to take the job and offers to pay. Since Louise is jobless, she agrees to be Antonina’s caretaker. Despite her compatibility issues with Antonina, Louise learns to be comfortable in her job. Eventually, she also wears a diaper to convince Antonina to wear one. Their friendship slowly starts to blossom despite the language barrier. Around this time, Louise learns that her ex-boyfriend is marrying a woman, also named Louise. It instantly upsets her. Later that night, she goes to a bar with Brick and Antonina.
Late Bloomers (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
What does Louise learn about her life?
At the bar, Louise gets smitten by a guy a few years younger than her. After they start speaking, he soon loses interest in Louise, which makes her feel rejected. So, she gets drunk and forgets about Antonina. The next morning, she realizes that, because of her negligence, Antonina suffered an accident and was taken to a hospital. Back home, Brick gets tired of Louise’s constant bickering. He tells her to stop complaining and start doing things to change her life instead. Since she refuses to grow up, he tells her to leave his apartment. She crashes at another friend’s place until she recovers.
Before leaving Brooklyn, Louise revisits Brick’s place. On the spur of the moment, she kisses him. They walk up to his bed to have sex but can’t. Then, she writes a heartfelt letter to Antonina and meets her. Louise makes a compilation video with the old women from her recovery sessions. They share the advice they would like to offer to their youngest versions. Eventually, Louise returns to her hometown and reunites with her father. He wants her to not live under the guilt of her past actions and to cherish her good memories instead. Al reveals that he called her earlier so she could meet her mother before she was taken to a care home.
Louise’s Visit with Dorothy
After her dialogue with her father, Louise goes to meet her mother at the care home and plays her a song on a guitar. Even in her later stage of Alzheimer’s, Dorothy feels touched by Louise’s earnest performance. Louise performs something on her guitar after fearing to use it for many years. So, she also feels revitalized by the connection she feels with her mother. Earlier, she felt like she had no one to call her own. But by the end of her journey, she finds comfort in Brick, Antonina, and Al. So, she realizes that she needs to let go of her past, accept her reality, and move on with her life. She also finds these connections once she opens herself up to the possibility and makes them her priority.
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