The 13 Roses

In a sun‑lit California suburb, a couple wrestles with the quiet dissonance that settles between love and ambition. Their story opens in an intimate therapist’s office, where Theo—an architect whose career once promised grand public projects—sits opposite his partner, Ivy Rose, a chef whose culinary dreams have already taken shape in a bustling seafood restaurant. The session, meant to untangle lingering doubts, instead exposes the fragile barbs hidden beneath their affection, setting a tone that blends earnest vulnerability with a sharp, almost lyrical wit.

The narrative drifts back to the pair’s first encounter amid the clatter of a London restaurant kitchen, where professional pressure sparked an impulsive chemistry that feels both reckless and electric. Their early romance, marked by daring moments like a secretive embrace in a freezer, underpins the film’s restless energy, suggesting that the very risk that once united them now fuels the tensions of their present lives. Years later, settled with two children, they navigate a world of overlapping responsibilities: Theo’s looming museum debut, precarious in its architectural daring, and Ivy’s restaurant, “We’ve Got Crabs!”—a lively hub that draws in a colorful staff and a circle of close friends.

Surrounding the couple are a cast of familiar faces—friends who oscillate between support and blunt critique, a perceptive therapist who questions the durability of their bond, and a clever smart‑home system that adds a subtle, modern hum to the household’s atmosphere. Their interactions are peppered with humor that leans toward the absurd—a shooting‑range outing, a sudden storm that threatens a roof, and dinner parties that teeter between conviviality and confrontation. These moments create a tapestry of everyday drama, hinting at deeper fissures without exposing the outcomes.

The film plays out as a character‑driven exploration of partnership under pressure, balancing the ordinary rhythms of family life with the undercurrents of personal ambition and unresolved longing. Its tone shifts between warm domesticity and a darker, almost satirical edge, inviting the audience to linger on the complexities of love that is both sustaining and unsettling. The story’s focus remains on how Theo and Ivy Rose negotiate their shared past and uncertain future while the world around them—full of friends, work, and technology—continually reshapes the contours of their relationship.

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 at 15:00