THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS
A Feature Film
"THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS" follows the life of a teenager directly after the death of her high school sweetheart. Mariam Miller and Isabel Lopez had been together since they were freshmen. When Isabel commits suicide the summer before their senior year, Mariam refuses to accept it. She believes, undoubtedly, that Isabel's father murdered her.
Plagued by flashbacks of her memories with Isabel, Mariam spirals into her obsession with proving her girlfriend was killed. The sweet, innocent teenage romance contradicts Mariam's increasingly drastic and dangerous behaviours.
But as negative memories bleed through, they distort the perfect relationship facade Mariam had been displaying. As does the reoccurring appearance of Mariam's father, an abusive addict, and the hallucinations she begins to experience.
The title, THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS, refers to the countless occasions where bouquets are present: baby showers, births, dates, weddings, and funerals. Throughout life, flowers represent significant moments, joyful or sad.
"THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS" plunges into the effects of trauma and abuse on relationships and world perspective. Vastly colourful, dramatic, and dark; this film follows a blooming young queer relationship in contrast to the unravelling of a grieving teenager harbouring a dangerous vendetta.
The 'TSBFlowers' Team
Yumna Jane
Director - Writer
Yumna Jane is an Egyptian-American writer, actor, & director with a focus on providing narratives that represent POC, queer, and multicultural youths.
She has been acting and working on sets since she was 15, in films such as “Slant Streets” (2020), “The World Drops Dead” (2022), and “ Oxygen” (2023).
Maddie Ragan
Director of Photography
Maddie is an Arkansas Native filmmaker currently working towards her MFA in Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
As a filmmaker, she naturally leans towards the thriller/horror genre. Anything to get the audience on the edge of their seat.
Maddie has written & directed several short films as well, such as “Black Fathoms” (2019) and “Lost to All" (2019).
Brandon Colvin
Producer
Brandon is an award-winning filmmaker and Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama.
As a writer & director, his three feature films - Frames” (2012), “Sabbatical” (2014) , and “A Dim Valley” (2020) have screened at dozens of film festivals internationally.
Brandon’s upcoming feature , “The World Drops Dead” ,
combines live-action and animation to tell two supernatural tales of familial love in the face of death.
“The World Drops Dead” stars the writer/director of “THERE SHOULD BE FLOWERS”: Yumna Jane.