Broken Flowers is a 2005 American-French comedy-drama film directed by Jim Jarmusch. The movie follows Don Johnston, a former Don Juan and a rich computer businessman who is dumped by his latest girlfriend, Sherry. One day, he receives an anonymous pink letter with no return address, informing him that he has a 19-year-old son who may be looking for him. The letter mentions that the son has been seeking his father for years, and although the sender has never met Don, they believe he is the father.
Shocked by the news, Don decides to find out who his potential son could be, and he embarks on a journey to visit his ex-girlfriends from the past 20 years to find any clues. With the help of his neighbor, Winston, Don travels to four different locations to reconnect with the women who may have been the mother of his child.
As he visits each woman, Don learns more about himself and his past relationships. He also discovers how each woman has moved on with her life. The four women he visits are Laura, Dora, Carmen, and Penny. Laura is a former hippie who still lives a life of leisure; Dora is a real estate agent who immigrated to the United States from Africa; Carmen is a timid woman who is married with children, and Penny is a motorcycle enthusiast who runs a store that sells biker gear. Don's interactions with each of these women reveal different perspectives on their relationship with him, and ultimately, lead him to accept that his romantic past is over and to move forward.
The film has a subdued tone, with dry humor and melancholic moments interspersed throughout. The movie's main message is that we must face our past mistakes to make peace with the present and pursue happiness.
Broken Flowers stars Bill Murray as Don Johnston, Jeffrey Wright as Winston, and Sharon Stone, Julie Delpy, Jessica Lange, and Tilda Swinton as the four women he visits. The movie received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.