Film Review: Wild Rose Is A Redemption Story
Redemption is a theme I bring up a lot on the website because, personally, I struggle with it. There are people, in this world, that REALLY SCREW UP! They simply do not think of others or even their own like, their family. They hurt themselves and everyone because they either A) feel insecure B) are immature C) are really dumb and evil. Yet, time is a teacher, and some people take the hardest paths to get to a higher place, of which Wild Rose asks whether there is a time-limit in seeing someone do so.
Written by Nicole Harper and directed by Tom Harper, Jessie Buckley plays “Wild Rose’s” Rose-Lynn: the titular character to my previous point. Her life was bad men, bad drugs, and eventual jail, but she has returned home to pick up her role as mother, daughter, and potential country superstar. “Three chords and the truth” is tatted on her forearm as a reminder of why country music is powerful to her. In that world, a mass hit can, literally, be about a person that went to hell and back, which she can relate. More importantly, she can sing.
Jessie Buckley – Country Girl (From “Wild Rose”)
Buckley makes Rose a fractured heart struggling to actually change because no one believes she will anymore. Yet, music never judges her and she can sing like a Patsy Cline. The soundtrack to this film is like a CMA Award show; it has the best country songs of the year, which plays a role on why you pull for Rose. She is genuinely talented and is sincerely trying to be “someone/ a star.” The problem is that she has made false promises before to herself, her kids, and her mom Marion (Julie Walters). The latter represents every person out there that has given the “black sheep” of the family multiple chances to repair, redeem, and better themselves. Yet, all those chances only led to their own heartbreak.
WILD ROSE | OFFICIAL MAIN TRAILER
Naturally, Marion has a hard time with her daughter’s return, especially comes to her “re-try” at being her grandchildren’s mom. The rebuilding of their trust is a central heartbeat to the film because the audience knows Rose is serious about change but her mom and kids don’t. The reason we know is because of her music and relationship with Sophie Okonedo’s Susannah. The latter believes in Rose’s heart and talent, in part, because she does not know her history. To her, Rose is the maid that loves her kids and sings as she cleans, of which moves her to use her network to try and get Rose to Nashville’s radio. Yet, the revelation of her past makes Susannah question whether Rose is a worthy investment: a recurring theme throughout Wild Rose.
Jessie Buckley – Glasgow (No Place Like Home) (From “Wild Rose”)
Redemption, like forgiveness, is insular; it is something you do for yourself that can or cannot impact how others feel about you. Moreover, it is an investment; a choice to place love, support, and hope in yourself. While it takes time, eventually, Rose-Lynn’s redemption arc helps her see that all you can is love yourself more, and, soon enough, those you love will notice that you are loving them even better. To Watch Rose-Lynn’s Redemption see Wild Rose on June 21 in Theaters.
