Wild Rose (2019)

Review

100min

Genre:       Drama, Music

Director:    Tom Harper

Cast:         Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo…and more

Writer:      Nicole Taylor

-Synopsis-

When a young and irrepressible but irresponsible Scottish single mother’s spirits fail to be dampened by a stint in prison, she soon gets back to pursuing an unlikely dream of becoming a Nashville country music star, only for her responsibilities and a dose of real life to get in the way—in this meditation on modern working-class motherhood from the director of ‘Peaky Blinders’ and ‘War Book’.

After capturing the attention of cinemagoers last year with a nuanced and restrained leading turn in Michael Pearce’s directorial debut and dark forbidden love drama ‘Beast’, Irish stage and TV star Jessie Buckley returns to the big screen to unleash a full array of abilities—revealing some impressive musical talents and letting her wild side run free, teaming up with British director Tom Harper to help bring TV writer Nicole Taylor’s first feature screenplay to life.

Buckley stars as ‘Rose-Lynn Harlan’, a fast-living, no-nonsense young working-class Glaswegian lass who dreams of country music stardom and the distant promised land of Nashville Tennessee, but is brought back down to earth when released from prison to reunite with her estranged children, and her disapproving mother ‘Marion’ (Julie Walters) who stepped in to raise them. But when the encouragement of her wealthy new employer ‘Susannah’ (Sophie Okonedo) fans the musical flame in her heart, Rose faces a tough balancing act and a fateful decision which will affect more than just her own future.

British film audiences are no strangers to that classic underdog story of a spirited working-class figure, going against the grain and the naysayers to achieve unlikely glory, as seen in films like ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Billy Elliot’, and more recently from a female perspective in stand-up comedy drama ‘Funny Cow’ and in the odyssey of a Norwich WWE superstar in ‘Fighting with My Family’. And ‘Wild Rose’ follows in this tradition—only with a final twist—while helping to feed the hunger sweeping through the industry for greater representation and female-led stories.

There’s no doubt that ‘Wild Rose’ is a tribute to motherhood and all its struggles—in particular the unattainable balance between  a woman’s motherly obligations and her own hopes and aspirations—and of course it’s a classic tale of chasing a dream and escaping your circumstances, going where the grass seems greener. But it’s also conversely a tribute to the classic idiom ‘home is where the heart is’, while serving as a rousing ode to the notion that music is a universal language which knows no boundaries.

This is also very much a star-making showcase for Jessie Buckley and her multiple talents, as she brings to life a highly flawed but sympathetic character with a fighting spirit and an inextinguishable inner flame—all while nailing the Glaswegian accent. The young star of the piece combines her previous TV talent show experience and musical theatre chops with an extensive musical background and some dulcet folk music tones, delivering powerful and heartfelt musical performances that both rouse the audience and lay bare the heart of her character, encapsulated in a soundtrack of country classics and covers, plus original songs co-written by Buckley herself.

Despite some unlikely and very specific regional elements though, in particular the struggling Scottish single mom seeking country music stardom angle, ‘Wild Rose’ isn’t exactly groundbreaking unforgettable drama, and it bends over backwards to make sure you see Rose as a working-class hero—in spite of herself and some of her actions. The narrative meanwhile is ultimately sentimental (but not overly so) and occasionally feels a tad contrived, while the first two acts are largely predictable, although it does veer in an unexpected direction in the third conclusive part.

Yet whilst it may not completely capture the imagination, shatter your heart, or truly stir the soul, this reflective and poignant but ultimately life-affirming little character drama will raise your spirits and rouse your musical soul, and at the very least touch your heart, while delivering a much hungered for female-first story with universal appeal and classic human themes. And with ‘Wild Rose’ a star is truly born . . . in front of the camera and beyond it.

The Bottom Line…

A rousing and uplifting human drama with a melodic heart, and a tribute to working-class single mums, ‘Wild Rose’ may not be the most polished or utterly moving indie drama you’ve seen, but this everywoman ode to dreamers  and fighters—carried on the charismatic shoulders of a new star in-the-making—will undoubtedly have your toes tapping and heart soaring by the end.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Funny Cow (2018)

A successful working-class Northern British comedian recounts her difficult upbringing and the troubled relationships which formed a tough and distant personality, and fuelled an ambition to make it in the tough stand-up circuit of traditional working men’s clubs.

Directed by Adrian Shergold and starring Maxine Peake, Stephen Graham and Tony Pitts among others.

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