‘Rosebush Pruning’ (2026)

A satirical black comedy that follows the misdoings of a wealthy American family who have relocated to a villa in Catalonia, ‘Rosebush Pruning’ shifts its focus between siblings Ed (Callum Turner), Jack (Jamie Bell), Anna (Riley Keough), Robert (Lukas Gage) and their blind father (Tracy Letts). The delicately balanced ecosystem the rich family live in is disrupted when Jack starts dating Martha (Elle Fanning), rousing suspicion and jealousy in the other family members.

Depraved and unusual, the dysfunctional family dynamic is initially narrated by Turner’s Ed as he recounts his encounter with a Greek man, tells us about the passing of his mother and explains the obsession each family member has with Jack.

With Bell’s Jack being declared the only ‘good’ person in the family, it soon becomes clear how shallow and superficial the people around him are. With each sibling less remarkable than the last, the family is shown to only exist to consume lavish meals and the latest fashion trends. Coupled with an unhealthy incestuous fascination Anna and Robert have for Jack, the film leaves no one to root for as they each pursue their narcissistic goals.

With Fanning’s Martha being thrown into the mix, the film manages to create one of the most uncomfortable scenes in recent memory. As a poor outsider, Martha is criticised at lunch by the family as they discuss and assess her appearance, judging her clothes and her body. Definitely an uncomfortable highlight of the feature, ‘Rosebush Pruning’ manages to generate a handful of these awkward instances, making the film enjoyable because of how painfully discomforting it can get.

Pamela Anderson proves to be an unexpectedly pleasant presence in the film as she shows up as the matriarch of the family. Contrary to what had previously been revealed, the mother hadn’t been killed by a pack of wolves and had secretly absconded from her family. Keeping in touch with Jack, Ed soon discovers the truth and plots to destroy the family, allegedly to set Jack free to be with Martha.

All goes to plan as Robert kills the father and later abducts mother and her partner with Ed, leaving the two women unconscious in the woods for the wolves to devour. Ed then takes his leave and sets off for Greece in search of his recent acquaintance.

With an entirely unexpected ending, the tone of the film shifts dramatically. Going from the absurd and insane to an unanticipated quiet, the sombre downfall of the family is cemented when Robert searches the house for Anna with the intention of killing her. Suffering a seizure, Robert is eventually stabbed by a startled Anna who is in turn unexpectedly shot by Martha.

'Rich people are the worst' may be a phrase that returns to you time and time again as you watch this feature, and not without undue cause. If the film has anything to say, it’s that whoever is set free to make whatever choices they want due to unlimited funds, they will become ruthless, conceited and arrogant.

Hating the rich can’t really count as a novel concept in the contemporary film landscape. ‘Rosebush Pruning’ doesn’t quite come across as a feature that despises the wealthy or even is too judgemental towards all of their extraordinary proclivities. Rather the film observes the characters, how they exist as individuals and more damagingly, how they interact with one another and those outside of their immediate sphere of influence.

What transpires initially is an examination of the family as they seemingly act as a functioning unit. The further the story goes, the more is uncovered and the less morally bound the characters are to any societal norms. Never having to worry about anything besides securing the latest fashion trends, each individual is revealed as a hollow impression of a person.

Vapid, pretentious and ignorant, each child of the family does little to evoke anything besides contempt for them and their talentless existences, as they do nothing besides consuming whatever they come into contact with both physically and emotionally.

Again, it’s not as though distaste for the affluent hasn’t been examined before, ‘Rosebush Pruning’ does little to concern itself beyond showcasing the extremes that unchecked and unfulfilled individuals can sink to, dragging down whatever good may be around them.

Perhaps not as insightful as it could be, the film delivers an absurd tragedy through vivid colour schemes, cringey interactions and heartbreaking revelations. Beautifully presented if not eloquently refined, ‘Rosebush Pruning’ does nothing but ridicule and mock the madness of affluent emptiness, leaving the viewers content with the knowledge that there is more to life than being rich.

Score: 3/4