{"id":17575,"date":"2023-06-28T22:44:14","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T02:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=17575"},"modified":"2023-12-12T06:04:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T11:04:01","slug":"film-review-wildflower-is-a-standard-film-with-expressive-characters-and-a-great-cast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=17575","title":{"rendered":"Film Review \u2013 \u2018Wildflower\u2019 is a Standard Film with Expressive Characters and a Great Cast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world doesn\u2019t work the same way for everyone, and people are often boxed into expectations others have of them that may not be realistic or fair. Development disabilities in particular have led to people being alternately underestimated and underserved, far too often with cruel judgments about capability. Wildflower<\/em><\/strong> is an ultimately uplifting story inspired by true events about a different way of looking at the world and how that molded one young woman into the person she became.<\/p>\n

This film begins with Bea (Kiernan Shipka) in a coma surrounded by many members of her extended family. Her story unfurls with her as the narrator and each person playing a part. Peg (Jean Smart) and Loretta (Jacki Weaver) aren\u2019t too happy when their two intellectually disabled children, Sharon (Samantha Hyde) and Derek (Dash Mihok), meet and quickly begin a romance. Their daughter Bea is born soon after, with both grandmothers expressing concern that the couple won\u2019t be able to properly care for her. Though she spends some time living with her Aunt Joy (Alexandra Daddario) and Uncle Ben (Reid Scott), Bea\u2019s understanding of the world is shaped primarily by her parents, giving her an off-kilter outlook that doesn\u2019t always enable her to play well with others.<\/p>\n

Wildflower<\/em> <\/strong>is based in part on the real-life experiences of cowriter-director Matt Smukler and his niece. As a film, it presents many of the societal projections cast upon those who are seen as \u201cothers\u201d and what they might be able to achieve. Bea often feels like \u2013 and expresses \u2013 that she is the parent rather than the child, and that she must educate her parents on things they need to learn, like that her mother shouldn\u2019t freely accept payment to buy alcohol for minors, a fact complicated by Bea having had her mother do the very same thing for her. Like any coming-of-age story, there\u2019s plenty of wisdom to be gleaned, though much of it flows in an atypical direction in this case.<\/p>\n

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\"Wildflower\"
Momentum Pictures \/ TIFF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This film, which made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, boasts a fantastic ensemble that also includes Brad Garrett as Sharon\u2019s father, Charlie Plummer as Bea\u2019s high school love interest, Victor Rasuk as Bea\u2019s guidance counselor, and Erika Alexander as a social worker trying to figure out \u201cwhat happened to her.\u201d The construction of the plot isn\u2019t nearly as strong, spinning a rather expected tale even if it\u2019s not in the most typical order and contains nuances and relationships that aren\u2019t found nearly as often. The inspiration for this project is clearly compelling, but the finished product doesn\u2019t do it justice as well as it could.<\/p>\n

A key question to stories that involve those with lived experiences is about representation, and this film does well by casting Hyde, who delivers an affecting performance as Sharon.<\/p>\n

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Mihok portrays someone whose injury in a car accident has resulted in him functioning differently, and his turn feels respectful enough.<\/p>\n

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As with any story, it isn\u2019t just about the two of them or Bea, and the conversations that they have about how they have to face the world are among the film\u2019s more potent moments. This isn\u2019t a mockery or an after-school lesson, but instead a film that tries to find real, three-dimensional characters to tell its story.<\/p>\n

Shipka, who got her breakthrough role as Sally Draper in Mad Men<\/em><\/strong> and more recently anchored Netflix\u2019s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina<\/em><\/strong> and Roku\u2019s much more adult fare Swimming with Sharks<\/em><\/strong>, proves herself more than capable of leading a film, and it almost feels as if there\u2019s not enough time to get to know Bea with so many other characters present. Smart and Weaver are dependable and infuse some humor into the film in their interactions, while Daddario and Scott productively reunite under very different circumstances following their previous collaboration in Why Women Kill<\/em><\/strong>. There\u2019s a great deal to like and appreciate about this film even if it\u2019s not entirely tight or rich in its storytelling.<\/p>\n

Grade: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n