Unfolding Florence
Settling into the cinema seat, I realised it was a fresh sensation to be completely unawares as to what I was about to watch. Unfolding Florence is the new Gillian Armstrong film but, though vague drafts of esteem shrouded this name, I was still slightly oblivious to the genuinely fascinating film that unfolded. Tackling the life of the effervescent, charismatic and domineering Florence Broadhurst, the film entertains with dazzling retellings of her life as a cabaret performer, and then subtly and gradually changes gear, revealing Florence’s later impact as a pioneer in the wallpaper industry. Clearly, as in any good tragedy, we are warned of our heroine’s grisly murder from the outset and this succeeds in both pushing the audience out of our collective comfort zones, and also reeling us in to the tale.
Armstrong cleverly jumps the hurdle of the absence of footage or interviewees from Florence’s early days, by dressing up the family letters and photos in hilarious, Monty Python-esque sequences. This makes Broadhurst’s early days entertaining, accessible to a wider audience and contributes to the pleasant confusion surrounding Broadhurst’s life — was she really British? Did she really do the things she wrote home about? Is this woman the real deal? This motif gradually fades as the protagonist’s story approaches modern-day, and the story takes on a more life-like, warm feel with touching tributes from the friends and family of Broadhurst. The emotional arc slowly built throughout culminates with our great sympathy at Florence’s death, and there is a tangible sense of loss on the cultural and social landscape of 1970s Sydney.
One gets the sense that Broadhurst was larger-than-life (and saw herself as this!) as she drove herself to succeed, believing that there were no setbacks, just opportunities. I had never heard of Florence Broadhurst before this movie, and I assume that this is true of most Australians. Unfolding Florence, if nothing else, is a stern correction of this ignorance; I now see it as criminal to be unaware of this Australian woman whose legacy as a professional still casts shadows today and, importantly, inspires as a reminder of meritocracy.
Sarah Reid
