"No life is worth much," is not something anyone wants to hear right before dying—especially not from a balsam flower. The film The Last Blossom opens in a solitary cell with an elderly life-sentenced prisoner whose time is almost up, engaging in a Zen-like dialogue with a balsam flower. The story unfolds through past and present, telling the life of the protagonist Minoru Akutsu—san intricate comedy of coincidences, fate, and choices. Amidst intertwining truths and falsehoods, one wonders if his lifelong cry for a "great turnaround" has been realized. Beautifully fleeting fireworks, delicate music by director Band Cero, and small moments, such as the protagonists playfully singing Stand by Me, linger long after the film ends. (KIM Yunha)