What is it about?
A girl navigates her youth with two intellectually disabled parents and an assorted family of characters trying to help.
Who is in it?
Kiernan Shipka - Bea Johnson
Ryan Kiera Armstrong - Young Bea
Samantha Hyde - Sharon
Favorite Scene:
Bea awakes from her coma while Sharon is combing her hair. As Bea meets the family and everyone rejoices, the camera focuses on Sharon, who stares at Bea for several seconds with an array of emotions, leaving it to the viewer to determine what exactly her state was.
Favorite Quote:
"I really never saw myself in my parents. All I saw was what they couldn't do. But those things never stopped them from living the life they wanted. They just kept going. They were determined to live the life they wanted. Even when everyone told them, they couldn't. I see that now."
Review:
I really liked Wildflower.
The film is a great example of the essence of life, the privileges we have that we aren't aware of, and the problems we create by focusing on the negative or hardships. Bea's struggle is felt, but also, the discussion around how we live and what each of us wants is at the core of the film. We often utilize "normal" as the benchmark for the most nuanced and complex situations.
[spoiler alert]
One of the most powerful and exemplary scenes in the movie of this nuance is when Derek cancelled Sharon's disability checks. On the outside, it's easy to judge Derek for the economic decision. However, he never once looked at his wife through the lens of disability and didn't think "anything was wrong with her".
Besides the powerful central story, the characters were believable and contained added depth, while all carrying the central belief - they were doing what was best for Derek and Sharon - Bea included.
Wildflower is an entertaining film, very funny at times, and often has you wondering - what would I offer in this situation? And what is genuine happiness?
Give Wildflower a watch - definitely worth the time.
Review: 4/5