With so much turmoil in the world today, it’s impossible not to take notice of personal stories about those who live through the day-to-day chaos. Writer/director David Dusa does just that with  Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du Mal), a film told over the backdrop of compelling true events surrounding Iranian student uprisings “to mobilize the green movement against government-imposed bans” that took place in 2009 in opposition to the oppressive Iranian regime and the controversial elections of its incumbent.

This narrative takes place in Paris, where 24-year-old Anahita (Alice Belaidi) arrives from Tehran and follows her friends’ revolts through Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. She meets Gecko (Rachid Youcef), a young French-Algerian bellhop (and an amazing break dancer) at her luxury Parisian hotel, and they are quickly drawn to each other.

Flowers of Evil makes great use of new media by juxtaposing the fictitious life of Anahita and Gecko  with the real videos taken from Youtube during the protests. The videos reveal the gravity of the grotesque protests of the opposition to the regime, and they are extremely graphic. Typically when watching films that illustrate realistic accounts, they are filtered through the eyes of the ‘protagonist’ of the story. In this case, however, when the Youtube videos are in full screen, you begin to feel directly engaged and emotionally vested into the catastrophic events.

Many viewers will probably enjoy watching this film for its romance and character development. The pairing of Gecko, a bellhop in a luxurious Parisian hotel, with Anahita, a student who comes from a well-to-do family, sparks an interesting contrast of character between the two opposites who find themselves attracted to each other. They are both leading two separate lives; the first of which surfaces on top and is defined by social norms, while the second is hidden beneath layers of emotional scars and hidden ambition, defined by youthful rashness. Anahita is an activist and strongly engaged with her friends who are a part of the green movement. She is emotionally involved with the hardship and suffering of her friends and the oppression of the Iranian regime, and her dream is to stop the violence. The Brazilian bracelet she wears represents the dream’s vessel and the belief that once it comes off of its own accord, her wish will come true. Gecko, a vagabond, is an orphaned youth who loves to break dance and travel and see the world. He has no connection to anyone, but deep inside he is yearning for someone to be a part of his life. And while as individuals Anahita and Gecko may be broken people, together they make a perfect match.

Gecko’s break dance moves stand out here. Every day on his way to and from work, he shows off his acrobatic, spiderman-like ability of climbing over brick walls, leaping fences, and making fancy spins and swindles that in and of themselves are a treat to watch. There are no stunt-double performances, because Youcef, the very talented and up-and-coming French actor, performs all of his character’s moves.

Flowers of Evil is a directorial debut by Hungarian- born, Swedish-bred Dusa. Presently the film is seeking distribution, but self-distribution via new media platforms of the internet is not out of the question for this versatile filmmaker.

(Screened at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.)