It’s hard to believe a 12 minute black and white film with zero dialogue can pack such an emotional punch, but “Six Tulips” does it, and it does it fairly well (but not without problems).
Six tulips are scattered in a park after a couple breaks up. One by one they are found and put to good use. Whether it be a simple gesture of love or an adornment for a corpse, these flowers transform simple scenes of day-to-day life into something sublime.
As moving as this film is, it is also too heavy handed. It is as sentimental as it is sappy, and that normally would be a major disaster. This short doesn’t completely fall apart because of that, but it does come close. Even while experiencing the pain and love the characters are going through, one can’t help but feel manipulated; the film actually tricks the audience into thinking it is watching Barney’s (of “The Simpsons”) newest entry in the Springfield Film Festival. His original film, “Pukahontas,” was touching and clichéd, and “Six Tulips” follows the same route.
If you liked Barney’s film, you’ll enjoy this ride, though in this case it isn’t meant to be funny, and you know all the turns beforehand.
