The Good Herbs

Separated from her husband, Dalia lives with her infant son. She is close to her mother, Lala, a scholar and herbal medicine expert. Dalia works for a local radio station and spends much of her time in her mother’s lush garden. Soon after complaining of memory loss, Lala is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Foreseeing the inevitable loss of lucidity, she asks Dalia to take care of her and watch over her prized research notes on traditional folk medicines. Soon her memories begin to waft away, like the scent of garden flowers. The film’s central narrative, weaving among many tangents, is a meditation on the importance of plants in human cultures, on the complexities and unpredictability of the human brain, and on the strength of love.