Wild Rose

This plays in the field of “feel good clichés about artists rising above their circumstances” while at the same time being a tad more realistic about exactly how oppressive those circumstances may be. The main strength of the film is Jessie Buckley in the title role as Rose-Lynn Harlan, a mother of two, recently released from prison, who has dreams of becoming a country music star, but feels trapped in her cycle of work and parenting in Glasgow. Her struggles have a reality to them and we’re drawn in even as she makes decisions that are not necessarily the best for herself or for her kids – she’s a shambles but a likeably naive one, and her ambition, flawed and unbased in reality as it might be, shines through.

Julie Waters as her mum has the challenge of bring realism back into the mix, and it’s a tribute to her skills that, despite her familiarity, she actually manages to make her points reasonably well. Sophie Okenedo as the employer who bonds with Rose-Lynn and tries to help her on her way despite not really understanding her circumstances brings a gentle rhythm to it. The scripting does tend to fall between two stools a little – it simultaneously wants to play in reality but it can’t quite resist the uplift of Rose-Lynn’s hopes and dreams – and while it does make the point that at some point she’s going to have to do hard work to get herself skilled, in the end it largely leaves that off screen in favour of a one-year-later-concert-ending. It’s also not quite willing to give the kids enough individual characterisations to make them more than unfortunate obstacles. Which ends up making this an interesting but not entirely successful film.