The Great Escape

In The Great Escape, the viewer arrives as the third of three geranium flowers stuck on the windowsill in the bare living room of Patrick, a lonely 38-year-old man. The geraniums are bored to death and constantly frustrated – with themselves, the windowsill, and Patrick. They long to see the world, but are literally rooted in place. Patrick, meanwhile, walks freely but never leaves the house, trapped in his own lonely routine. Every day starts the same: watering the plants, making coffee, feeding his goldfish, activating his roomba, collecting junk mail, then daydreaming by the window. The monotony gets shaken up when Patrick buys a smartphone to connect with the outside world. The geraniums secretly steal it and post a selfie in a plant swap group, where a woman named Sonja spots it. She convinces Patrick to swap the geraniums for her snake plant. The geraniums are thrilled as they venture outside with Patrick, until a chat with a dying bouquet of roses reveals the outside world isn’t so kind to plants. The ensuing existential crisis leads the plants to their near demise and ultimately to a new home with a rather familiar setting.

At the core The Great Escape is about the boredom that comes with comfort. In this story a pair of houseplants are longing for a “great escape” from their daily dull routine, even though nothing is particularly wrong with this daily flow. On one hand the contradicting wishes and desires of the geraniums might seem amusing, but on the other hand they are relatable as well to people who harbour similar escapist dreams or experience certain inexplicable feelings of ennui. Fleeing a golden cage takes courage and learning to let go sometimes, as Patrick experiences in this story. Even then a safe return is not always guaranteed, like the geraniums find out. Still, there is beauty to be found in the ordinary aspects of life and the flow of daily existence.

PRODUCTION 1:
Animal Tank - Sven Spur, Brecht Van Elslande
Hagelandkaai 37
9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)484707904
E-mail: sven@animaltank.be
Web: https://www.animaltank.com
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/animaltank/ - Instagram, https://www.facebook.com/animaltank/ - Facebook, https://www.linkedin.com/company/animal-tank - LinkedIn

PRODUCTION 2:
a_BAHN - François Le Gall, Marion Guth
75, Rue de la Gare
4571 Oberkorn, Luxembourg
E-mail: francois@a-bahn.com
Tel: +33 (0)679863042
Web: https://www.a-bahn.com
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/a_bahn/ - Instagram, https://www.facebook.com/aBAHNProduction/ - Facebook, https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-bahn/ - LinkedIn

WORLD SALES:
Animal Tank - Sven Spur
Hagelandkaai 37
9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)484707904
E-mail: sven@animaltank.be
Web: https://www.animaltank.com

PRESS OFFICE:
Spur Sven - Animal Tank
Hagelandkaai 37
9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)484707904
E-mail: sven@animaltank.be