Youri (Alseni Bathily), a teenager, lives in a housing project on the outskirts of Paris known as Cité Gagarine, named after Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarine, the first human to travel to outer space. Abandoned by his mother, he dreams of becoming a cosmonaut like Yuri Gagrine and even tries to build his own capsule which he hopes will launch into space. Cité Gagarine is in imminent danger of being demolished, but he believes that he can stop the demolition if he can fix it up with the help of his friends, Houssam (Jamil McCraven) and Diana (Lyna Khoudri).

      Gagarine is sweet, tender and imaginative, much like Youri himself. The screenplay by co-writers/directors Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh and co-writer Benjamin Charbit don't dwell on the darker elements of the narrative despite all of the tragedy that happens to Youri. This isn't poverty porn like The Florida Project or as unflinching as Ken Loach's films about the poor. Life is far from easy for Youri, though. His mother leaves to live with her new lover. The building complex he lives at, his childhood home, has been condemned and will most likely be demolished. What no one can demolish, though, are Yuri's hopes, dreams, empathy and optimism. Is it naive optimism? The filmmakers let the audience answer that question and judge Youri on their own. He yearns to escape from his adversity. There's nothing wrong with yearning or fantasizing. Even adults have the right to do it, not just children. The mind, after all, is a powerful tool which Youri uses to survive on an emotional and psychological level. What the screenplay doesn't do so effectively, though, is to delve into Youri's emotional journey more to allow the audience to understand how he's processing all of his emotions and how they're evolving. It's great to see what he imagines, though, through the magical realism scenes. There's no narration which is fine, but the relationship between Youri and his mother remains underdeveloped. Gagarine focuses mostly on Youri and his interactions with his friends, including Diana who he develops feelings for. Their communication through Morse Code is quite endearing, and their romance never becomes saccharine.

      Gagarine is lucky to have Alseni Bathily as the lead actor because he gives a raw, tender and convincingly moving performance. He's a revelation. Even when the screenplay doesn't have much emotional depth, his performance compensates for that, so the  emotional resonance comes from him, not from the screenplay. The visual effects in the magical realism scenes add both style and substance. Those scenes are mesmerizing to watch, and there's no shortage of them either. They turn the film into a thought-provoking allegory while providing visual poetry that makes for a captivating film that highlights the importance of conquering adversity and the power of the imagination. 

      Eve Vernet (Catherine Frot), a horticulturalist, owns a rose nursery she inherited from her father, but business has been waning and she struggles to make ends meet. She refuses to sell her business to Lamarzelle (Vincent Dedienne), who owns a larger rose business. Instead, her assistant, Véra (Olivia Côte), finds three ex-convicts, Samir (Farsah Bouyahmed), Nadege (Marie Pitiot), and Fred (Manel Foulgoc), to help her with her garden. Eve also uses their crime skills to steal a special rose from Lamarzelle's rose nursery.

      The screenplay by writer/director Pierre Pinaud and co-writer Fadette Drouard and Philippe Le Guay, follows a familiar formula for an underdog story, but it follows it with genuine warmth, tenderness, wit and a light sense of humor while treating its characters as human beings. There's nothing wrong with resorting to cliches as long as done well like in Saving Grace which The Rose Maker shares a lot in common with. The ending can be seen from a mile away, but that doesn't matter because it's the journey to the uplifting ending that matters the most. Fortunately, the film earns its uplift, especially owing to the friendship between Even and Fred. She becomes like his surrogate mother and inspires him and, in turn, he becomes like her surrogate son. Her compassion toward him and the other ex-convicts is heartfelt without being schmaltzy. At first, they seem very different from her, and those differences are played for laughs at the beginning. However. she, too, has her own emotional pain to deal with as it turns out.

      The Rose Maker doesn't dwell on these darker elements for too long, but there's just enough darkness lurking beneath the surface to add some depth, much like in Harold & Maude.  It's also refreshing to see such a strong role for a woman. She's fragile, yet strong on the inside and assertive, i.e. when she stands up to Lamarzelle and doesn't let him take advantage of her no matter what he offers her for her rose nursery. He even brings her flowers, but she doesn't fall for his unctuous behavior. She's also kind, considerate and compassionate, and as wise and comfortable with herself as Shirley from Shirley Valentine or even Maude from Harold & Maude. One of the most powerful, empowering moments is when she states out loud that she's okay being single and doesn't need a man around. This film certainly passes the Bechdel Test. The crime caper subplot feels a bit of a throwaway, contrived and doesn't really add much in terms of thrills or suspense, but that's forgivable because it's not really what the film is really about.

      Catherine Frot is among the most charismatic French actresses. She's great at comedy as well as drama. Her charisma in The Rose Maker elevates the film and breathes life into her role even during the quieter moments. Much of the emotional depth comes from her performance, but also from Manel Foulgoc who has the most interesting role out of the three ex-convicts. The way that the filmmakers incorporate symbolism with flowers is similar to how Harold & Maude used the symbolism of flowers to represent the growth of a human being. It's not very subtle, yet it's nonetheless poetic and insightful. At a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, The Rose Maker is a warm, funny and heartfelt delight.