The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is an Australian drama miniseries created by Sarah Lambert and based on the novel by Holly Ringland. All seven episodes were directed by Glendyn Ivin, and were released by Amazon Studios from 4 August to 1 September 2023.
| The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Sarah Lambert |
| Based on | The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Directed by | Glendyn Ivin |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Hania Rani[1] |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Barbara Gibbs |
| Cinematography | Sam Chiplin |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 51–63 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 4 August – 1 September 2023 |
The series received positive reviews for its direction and performances, in particular Weaver's. It received 12 nominations at the 13th AACTA Awards, including Best Miniseries, Best Lead Actress in Drama for Weaver, and Best Supporting Actress in Drama for Debnam-Carey and Leah Purcell.
Synopsis
editSet in Australia, the series follows Alice Hart (Alyla Browne and Alycia Debnam-Carey), a girl abused by her father who finds herself orphaned after a fire and is taken in by her estranged grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), who runs a flower plant nursery doubling as a haven for "Flowers", women who were victims of domestic abuse.[2]
Cast
editMain cast
edit- Sigourney Weaver as June Hart, Alice's paternal grandmother who takes her in after the death of Alice's parents, but hides many secrets from her granddaughter.
- Alyla Browne and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alice Hart, the abused daughter of Agnes and Clem who is raised by June after her parents' death, only to face another crisis as a grown-up. Browne portrays Alice as a child, and Debnam-Carey portrays her as a young adult.
- Asher Keddie as Sally Morgan, a librarian who realizes the abuse Alice and her mother suffer, and later tries to adopt Alice before adopting Charlie.
- Leah Purcell as Twig, June's wife
- Frankie Adams as Candy Blue, June and Twig's adopted daughter
- Catherine Laga'aia as young Candy
- Alexander England as John Morgan, a policeman and Sally's husband
- Charlie Vickers as Clem Hart, Alice's abusive father, Agnes' husband and June's estranged son
- Jack Latorre as young Clem Hart
- Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Agnes Hart, Alice's mother
- Sebastián Zurita as Dylan, a ranger Alice falls in love with as an adult
- Shareena Clanton as Ruby, a ranger who becomes Alice's friend
Guests
edit- Catherine McClements as Sarah
- Emma Lung as Nurse Brooke Jansen
- Jeremy Blewitt as Charlie Morgan, Alice's brother who was adopted by Sally and John as a newborn
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Screenplay by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part 1: Black Fire Orchid" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
|
Young Alice Hart is growing up in a seemingly happy environment. A kind librarian becomes suspicious when she finds Alice covered in bruises. When Alice is taken to hospital, injured, it is revealed that her abusive father and expectant mother were killed in a fire under mysterious circumstances. When Alice's estranged paternal grandmother, June, arrives to claim custody of her, it becomes clear that there is more to the story than meets the eye. | |||||
| 2 | "Part 2: Wattle" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
| 3 | "Part 3: Lantern Bush" | Glendyn Ivin | Kirsty Fisher and Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
| 4 | "Part 4: River Lily" | Glendyn Ivin | Kim Wilson and Sarah Lambert | August 11, 2023 | |
| 5 | "Part 5: Desert Oak" | Glendyn Ivin | Kirsty Fisher and Sarah Lambert | August 18, 2023 | |
| 6 | "Part 6: Wheel of Fire" | Glendyn Ivin | Kim Wilson | August 25, 2023 | |
| 7 | "Part 7: Sturt's Desert Pea" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | September 1, 2023 | |
Production
editIn May 2021, it was announced that Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios and Endeavor Content would produce an adaptation of the book The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, with filming taking place in Australia. Sigourney Weaver was announced as starring and executive producing, with Sarah Lambert show running and executive producing, Glendyn Ivin as director and executive producer, and Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Allie Goss also executive producing.[3]
Filming began in October 2021 in Sydney and the regions of New South Wales and the Northern Territory. It was confirmed that Asher Keddie, Leah Purcell, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frankie Adams, Alexander England, Charlie Vickers, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Alyla Browne had been added to the cast.[4] In April 2022, Sebastián Zurita was cast, Kirsty Fisher and Kim Wilson were announced as co-writers alongside Lambert, Barbara Gibbs was confirmed as producer and Lucinda Reynolds as co-executive producer.[5] In September 2022, production company Endeavour Content rebranded as Fifth Season.[6]
Release
editAmazon Studios announced the show will be available in over 240 countries and territories through the streaming service Amazon Prime Video.[7] It premiered on 4 August 2023, with the first three episodes available immediately and a new episode debuting on a weekly basis until the series finale on 1 September 2023.[8]
On 16 August 2023, Mediaweek reported that the series set a record for highest viewership of an Australian series worldwide. It also reached the top five in 78 countries and top three in 42 countries on Prime Video.[9][10]
Reception
editOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 34 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sigourney Weaver is excellent as a thorny matriarch in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a visually appealing and well-acted melodrama."[11] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]
Accolades
edit| Award | Year of ceremony |
Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards | 2024 | Best Miniseries or Telefeature | Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Barbara Gibbs, Sarah Lambert, Glendyn Ivin – Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios, Fifth Season (Amazon Prime Video) |
Won | [13][14][15] |
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Sigourney Weaver | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Alycia Debnam-Carey | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Leah Purcell | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction in Television | Glendyn Ivin (episode 1) | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting | Jane Norris | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography in Television | Sam Chiplin (episode 1) | Won | |||
| Best Editing in Television | Deborah Peart (episode 1) | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing in Television | Deborah Peart, Dany Cooper (episode 6) |
Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design in Television | Melinda Doring (episode 1) | Won | |||
| Best Sound in Television | David Lee, Robert MacKenzie, Leah Katz, James Ashton (episode 6) |
Won | |||
| Best Hair and Makeup | Lara Jade Birch, Georgia Lockhart-Adams |
Nominated | |||
| AWGIE Awards | 2024 | Television – Limited Series | Sarah Lambert, Kirsty Fisher, Kim Wilson |
Nominated | [16] |
| Young Artist Award | 2024 | Best Performance in a Streaming Series: Leading Youth Artist | Alyla Browne | Nominated | [17][18] |
| TV Week Logies | 2024 | Best Lead Actress in a Drama | Sigourney Weaver | Nominated | [19] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Leah Purcell | Nominated | |||
| Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent | Alyla Browne | Nominated | |||
| Best Miniseries or Telemovie | The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | Nominated |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' Soundtrack Album Details".
- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart". Screenaustralia.
- ^ "Sigourney Weaver To Star In & EP 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' Series Adaptation For Amazon; Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios & Endeavor Content To Produce". Deadline. 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Sigourney Weaver's 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' Starts Filming in Australia for Amazon". Variety. 28 October 2021.
- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart': Sebastián Zurita To Recur In Sigourney Weaver-Led Series". Deadline. 14 April 2022.
- ^ "Endeavor Content Rebrands As Fifth Season Following $785M Majority Sale To Korea's CJ ENM". Deadline. 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Prime Video Begins Production on the Australian Amazon Original Drama Series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart". Prime Video Press.
- ^ Roots, Kimberly (5 June 2023). "Sigourney Weaver Presides Over a Family's Secrets in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Trailer — Get Premiere Date". TVLine. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Prime time: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart sets Australian Amazon Original records". Mediaweek. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart sets original series record". ScreenHub. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "'The New Boy', 'Talk to Me', 'The Newsreader', 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart' lead AACTA nominees". IF Magazine. 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (9 December 2023). "AACTA Awards 2024: nominees". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2024: Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. 10 February 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (17 January 2024). "56th Annual AWGIE Awards: nominees". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "2024 Young Artist Academy Nominees". Young Artist Academy. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "2023-2024 - Young Artist Academy Awards". Young Artist Academy. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (23 June 2024). "Logie Awards 2024: nominations | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 23 June 2024.