“Paper Flowers” follows a young man who transforms a cancer diagnosis into a celebration of love, purpose and human connection. It’s based on the true story of Shalin Shah, and his viral HuffPost article, “Thank You, Cancer.”
There is a lot of discomfort within the opening act of “Paper Flowers.” Most of this revolves around Shalin coming from a household with traditional views. Whether it’s his girlfriend or his decision to join the Peace Corps, his parents don’t necessarily agree with the path he is taking. His quirky personality itself also leads to some awkwardness, in a comedic way. Shalin is immediately charismatic and likable, but it’s obvious that there are areas of his life where he needs to grow up. In comes the cancer.
Once “Paper Flowers” gets through the setup, it’s instantly emotional. For most viewers, it’s likely that they have known someone who has battled cancer, or they themselves have. It’s scary. It’s hard. But one thing that’s almost always present is support from every direction, whether that’s the medical staff, friends, family or even random strangers. Co-writer and director Mahesh Pailoor handles these moments of intimacy with grace.
And the initial family uneasiness is largely what allows the film to flourish. This is because “Paper Flowers” isn’t only Shalin’s journey — each of the characters around him also embarks on personal growth. Mary Krell-Oishi and Pailoor’s screenplay shifts focus away from Shalin at times, but it never feels like it’s taking away from his experience. Through these individual yet connected storylines, Pailoor explores a variety of ideas: acceptance, love, faith and positivity. For Shalin, it’s accepting his reality. For those around him, it’s accepting who he is as a person. For all of them together, it’s about making the most of the time that is left.
“… there is no later.”
While it’s based on a true story, “Paper Flowers” still succumbs to some clichés, being akin to “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014) and “Five Feet Apart” (2019). Because the film never dives completely into the hardships of cancer, it ends up feeling like a “glossy” version of Shalin’s life. While not necessarily a bad thing, this prohibits the movie from being even more impactful. Director of photography Aakash Raj plays into this through the visuals as well, with close-up character interactions and stunning sunset shots that complement the #SunsetsForShalin movement.
Kapil Talwalkar (Shalin) is at the center of it all. Talwalkar radiates positivity with every word delivered, having a loving personality that you just can’t help but root for. While the script limits the number of truly painful moments, he’s still able to express the character’s hopefulness and suffering at once.
Other performances come from Olivia Liang (Fiona Chang), Karan Soni (Milan Mehta), Faran Tahir (Jay Shah) and Meera Simhan (Reema Shah). It’s Tahir who has one of the most well-rounded bouts, moving from hard-nosed to emotionally intelligent. He crafts a believable portrayal of a father who is stuck in his own ways; viewers will likely be wary of the character at first before growing to embrace the bond he has with his son. Simhan has a more graceful parental presence from start to finish. She’s soft-spoken, which contrasts with Tahir’s more straightforward delivery. Liang and Soni also have integral roles in the narrative. Playing Shalin’s partner and best friend, both carry a lot of emotion in their performances. Despite outside noise affecting their relationship, Liang and Talwalkar have chemistry as a couple. While brief, Soni’s character has a number of touching interactions with Talwalkar as well.
Just because there’s hardship doesn’t mean there also can’t be hope — that’s the message of “Paper Flowers.” Outside of the typical genre tropes, there’s a meaningful story about life within.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
