Isabel’s Garden is a captivating drama by director-screenwriter Kit Rich. Maya (Karen David) is an ambitious TV news reporter in a small Northern California town. She is desperate to get the role of lead anchor. Life seems perfect, as she happily married Diego (Manuel Rafael Lozano). Diego wants a successful blended family with his ex-wife, Christina (Valery Ortiz), and 15-year-old daughter, Isabel (Gabriela Flores). Christina distrusts Maya as she is career-driven and not family-focused. Amidst the chaos of making this blended family work, Diego and Isabel bond by creating a garden together. Maya struggles to connect with Isabel and keep up with family activities during the Christmas season. On New Year’s Eve, a tragedy occurs when Diego is killed in a car accident. After a public meltdown while shooting a meaningless segment, she is put on suspension and given time to grieve over her husband’s death.
“… Diego and Isabel bond by creating a garden together. Maya struggles to connect with Isabel…”
As she goes through the grieving process, Maya works hard to be there for Isabel. In an effort to move on, she considers selling their home, not realizing the importance of Isabel’s garden. Maya also feels nostalgic about the Olive and the Universe book series, which she connected with during her troubled childhood. After many strange coincidences, she befriends an elderly woman, Grace (Jayne Taini). Grace becomes a fascinating subject for Maya’s news story, as she has a connection to her favorite book series. With new motivation, she is on the hunt to find “Oliver Durand,” the anonymous author of Olive and the Universe. Maya gets closer to Isabel as they form a strong mother-daughter relationship while tending and expanding the garden.
Kit Rich’s drama is strengthened by strong cast performances. Jayne Taini stands out as Grace. She does an excellent job bringing the many layers of Grace’s genuine and complicated personality to life. Gabriela Flores is great as the titular Isabel, perfectly capturing the essence of an awkward teenager. The film is creatively paced through its use of an animated picture book, with an evolving garden to symbolize Maya’s growth and the evolution of Isabel’s garden.
While Maya could have been an engaging protagonist, the acting and animated visuals greatly enhance the viewing experience. The repeated flashbacks to Diego take away time that should have been spent on Maya’s interesting backstory. A great connection with the supporting characters, like Grace, makes the film relatable to audiences. On a thematic level, Isabel’s Garden succeeds in addressing the consequences of being a career-minded person and handling grief by shutting off positive memories of a loved one.
Isabel’s Garden taps into the beauty of human connection with its talented cast, creative visuals, and relatable themes.
"…[Maya] is on the hunt to find “Oliver Durand,” the anonymous author of Olive and the Universe."
