The lines were long, stretching nearly a block when we arrived, but those waiting were cheerful and chatting. I asked a few people how they had learned about the preview of The Gardener, and they all said they learned through social media. Northern Gardener had published a short blog post about this opportunity to see the film in person.

Miraculously, the line cleared in time for the beginning of the film, and my friend and I took two of the last remaining seats high in the historic Riverview Theater. I’ll admit I wasn’t initially excited about seeing the movie, probably influenced by a mediocre rating I had read. But it was good—we loved it!

This is a film about a hard-driving woman, the scion of a cosmetics empire, who is obsessed with work and faced with a life-threatening disease. While also fighting a hostile corporate takeover and grieving lost family members, she is forced to make tough choices as everyone tells her what to do—which is mainly to “rest, rest, rest.”

Her answer is to literally follow a starling’s call and retreat to a rustic mountaintop cottage. The scenery was stunning, filled with lush greens, undisturbed woods and tranquil water. A neighbor named Walter soon appeared, leading her down a path to healing through gardening. Our heroine’s defiance and brittleness quickly gave way to a new ability to take in the wonders of nature, including its creatures.

Comments from moviegoers, many of whom lingered in the theater after the surprise ending, were all positive. The movie raised several questions. Was part of the reason for the sold-out performance and attendees’ reaction to the movie related to our yearning for restorative nature? Was the newfound male gardener a figment of our heroine’s imagination, or was he real? What was the nature of her illness? What does her future hold? My friend and I spent the ride home debating these very questions and vowing to find out the answers.  See what you think the answers are if you’re able to watch the movie.

The Minneapolis Riverview Theater showing that we attended was one of over a hundred screenings in cities throughout the United States. It served as a preview of an opportunity to view the film online. To see it for yourself, visit this virtual ticketing page hosted by Northern Gardener. 

This link leads to tickets for a one-night national screening taking place on June 24^th at 7 pm.  Tickets are $12 and viewers have 72 hours to see the film. Northern Gardener and the Minnesota Horticultural Society also earn a small commission from each ticket to support their mission.

Watch it with a friend. Then see how long the debate goes on as to what really happened and what the future holds for our heroine.  We can all probably answer affirmatively the question of whether nature heals.  We know it does.

Diane McGann is a Stillwater-based master gardener and award-winning garden writer.