SIFF 2019: "Wild Rose" Thrives On Being Both Incredibly Frustrating And Wildly Captivating

Limited release dates and locations below.

Country music is, as Rose-Lynn explains it, "three chords and the truth." It's an ironic phrase to have tattooed on her forearm because, even though her love for country music is unshakable, she begins the film childish, entitled, self-centered, and hopelessly distant from understanding her own truths.

Of course, there’s a point where that changes for her. But the road there is frustrating for Rose, her family and friends, and even the audience. But that...and some incredible country music and singing...is what makes this story so beautiful.

Rose has big dreams of travelling to Nashville and becoming a country music star. She has the talent, but she also has two children and some trouble with the law holding her back. With her mother handling all of her responsibilities, Rose has to learn where her priorities in life should be before she loses both her family and her dream.

The narrative is slow and tedious, ensuring that viewers are completely invested into the conflicts that plague Rose’s personality and life choices. But while the narrative may drag, there are periodic moments of brilliance along the way every time Rose, talentedly played by Jessie Buckley, begins to sing. It’s beautiful, majestic, and remarkably authentic.

What Wild Rose has to offer in regards to narrative and character development is extraordinary. The lyrics say it all about Rose’s journey: “when I reach the place I’m going, I will surely know my way.” And it’s marvelous to watch these words come to fruition.