Dreams and ambitions are very important to each and every one of us, no matter what they are. All of us has, at some point, yearned to achieve something, and even if we didn’t do anything in particular to work towards that dream, they remained a motivating factor in our lives. Wild Rose is a film about many things, all of which we will unpack gradually throughout the course of this review. However, if we can sum up this entire film into a single concept, it is that of ambition, and the quest to conquer the obstacles standing between us and the dreams that keep us going. Tom Harper made an extremely special film here, a small but meaningful independent drama that celebrates music and focuses on the journey towards self-realization, as we follow a single individual as she navigates a world she doesn’t truly understand, in the hopes that she herself can make a difference to it through her tenacity, her talent and her undying devotion to becoming the star only she truly knows she can be. A simple but affecting drama that explores life’s challenges, and celebrates its many joyful moments, and one that serves as a pivotal moment in the careers of many of the people involved, including director Harper (who is on the verge of a major breakthrough), and Jessie Buckley, who has been on the precipice for stardom for a while now.

The film follows Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley), a young woman who has just been released from prison, where she served a twelve-month sentence for drug smuggling. Naturally ecstatic to be a free woman (of course, only to an extent), she is determined to return to her true passion, that of music. Rose-Lynn is an ardent devotee to country music, and prior to her conviction, she used to lead a moderately successful band that performed regularly at a local establishment in her native hometown of Glasgow that replicated the iconic Grand Ole Opry 0f Nashville. Rose-Lynn sets out to revive her career and only grow in stature, which will eventually (according to her estimation) occur once she has moved to Nashville, to be around the very artists that have influenced her since childhood. There are certain limitations – a descendent of the working-class, Rose-Lynn does not come from a background that can easily facilitate such international adventures. She also has to face scorn from her mother, Marion (Dame Julie Walters), who consistently tries to convince her daughter to “grow up” and pursue an ordinary profession, mainly to make a solid life for herself and her two children (Daisy Littlefeld and Adam Mitchell), who struggle to adapt to their mother’s returning presence. However, despite everything that tries to dissuade her, Rose-Lynn knows music is her true calling, and she refuses to stop until she achieves the stardom she knows she is worth.

If Jessie Buckley wasn’t a star already through her work in films like Beast or the extraordinary (but hopelessly bleak) limited series, Chernobyl, this film would be the perfect opportunity for audiences to become acquainted with a performer who is bound to become a mainstay in cinema, likely flourishing into one of our great young actresses. This is all due to the fact that Wild Rose gives Buckley the opportunity to showcase all of her impressive talents, such as her astounding singing voice, or her incredible dramatic skills, where she is able to play absolutely any moment without even an iota of inauthenticity. I would be hesistant to call this a star-making turn because Buckley has been steadily rising over the past few years. Rather, this is a film that will be a definitive moment in Buckley’s hopefully lengthy career, especially as the first time she has carried a film all on her own, which is not an easy accomplishment for someone still developing as an actress. Whether it be in the dramatic moments, where Rose-Lynn fights against the defiant forces, or in the joyful catharsis that clearly comes with the musical performances, she is extraordinary, with this being one of the most fascinating performances of the year, a centrepiece in a complex but poetic character study about one woman trying to not only put her life together, but to give herself the life she not only craves but entirely deserves. She is wonderfully supported by Julie Walters, giving one of her many great turns as Rose-Lynn’s cynical mother who may appear harsh on the outside, but only wants her daughter to succeed, and Sophie Okonedo, who takes on the role of Sussanah, the wealthy woman who employs the titular character and does her best to help her realize her dream, being the only person capable of seeing that this young woman has more potential than others give her credit for.

Music is something that speaks to all of us. In Wild Rose, we are introduced to a woman who has dedicated her life to country music, living through the words of many of the iconoclastic singers that hailed from Nashville and surroundings, who produced music often described as “three chords and the truth”, a quote by Harlan Howard, which our protagonist has tattooed on her arm, a mantra she strictly abides by. However, despite the omnipotence of the genre, the viewer doesn’t need to be an ardent devotee of country music to appreciate what Wild Rose is saying. The point of this film isn’t to comment on the nature of country music (not even Robert Altman’s magnum opus, Nashville, which serves as a terrific companion piece to this film, is entirely focused on country music, but the individuals behind it). Perhaps it would appear unconventional at first to make a film set in Scotland but centred around country music, but when we realize that this is a film about defying the odds and surmounting seemingly-impossible challenges, it all starts to make sense: Rose-Lynn has had to face many challenges, and as reviled as some of it can be, very few genres have been able to capture the grit and tenacity needed to survive in an unforgiving world quite like country music. Throughout the film, Buckley performs a wide range of songs, some of them previously recorded by titans in the industry (such as Emmylou Harris and Wynonna Judd), and original music written for the film, which benefit from Buckley’s convicted performance (and gorgeous voice), and the brilliant writing by the variety of musicians working on the film, which make Wild Rose  an exceptional musical film about a young performer making her way in a perilous, unaccepting world.

Alongside the musical core of the film, Wild Rose is a heartwrenching portrayal of the working class, being a part of the kitchen-sink realism sub-genre that has been present in British for cinema for decades. Working alongside the musical themes, the film comments on the plight of those of diminished economic and social status, contrasting it with the idea of dreams and ambitions in the arts being the folly of wealthier people, and that those who cannot afford to take such enormous risks and pursue a career, such as in music, are required to get a more appropriate profession. The film spends a great deal of time looking at Rose-Lynn balancing various parts of her life as a single, working-class woman, and how she is slowly starting to feel the burden. She, first and foremost, needs to prove herself to be rehabilitated after being released from prison, which is not particularly easy due to her stubbornness and tendency to deflect the blame to others. She does this through seeking employment as a housekeeper, which is a job she did not envision herself occupying, but is happy to find an understanding soul in Susannah. Despite the insistence of others in her life to become responsible and take charge of her life, Rose-Lynn still holds onto her dreams, which she is determined to turn into reality, which is often extremely difficult with the circumstances that prevent her from ever finding the success she seeks.

Unfortunately, Wild Rose does have some minor problems, which don’t necessarily detract from the film, but rather just impinges upon the fact that this could have been one of the year’s most extraordinary works. The second half is far less impressive from the first, and the point that it seems to be trying to make, whereby Rose-Lynn makes it to Nashville, is compressed into the final twenty minutes, when in actuality it should’ve either been given more time to grow, or abandoned entirely (the latter is not ideal, as the ending is the most poignant part of the film), as the film tends to struggle to figure out the way to approach a satisfying ending that isn’t trite. Moreover, while its flaws don’t invalidate from the fact that it is a very good film, it does eventually recede into predictability, succumbing to every expectation someone would have about a film like this. The fact that it is predictable does work, and it is effective, but only to a certain point, whereby its approach of being a paint-by-numbers story of a woman triumphing over adversity may be resonant but unexciting, especially considering this is a fictional story, rather than one based on anyone real. The pattern it follows is certainly very common, and it almost entirely relies on the same set of concepts that are present in most films of this kind, as well as never trying to do anything different with these conventions. It is definitely not enough to distract from the heartfulness at the core of Wild Rose, but only makes the viewer wish that there had been instances where it deviated from expectations and went its own direction, it could’ve been something a lot more unique, and far more interesting.

There is a lot about Wild Rose that needs to be appreciated – it is a small but beautiful film about one woman trying to piece her life back together from the already messy fragments of her working-class upbringing and poor choices. Her tenacity and a strong desire to realize a particular dream drive her to go to any lengths for her burgeoning career, with a protagonist portrayed with such endearing precision by rising star Jessie Buckley, who is only going to continue to ascend until she reaches inevitable stardom. An intimate but powerful film about pursuing your dreams, regardless of your situation, showing the world that no matter what life throws at you, anything is possible, Tom Harper has made something extraordinary special, which flourishes on the strength of its story and the poignancy of its explorations of society through the perspective of one young woman clutching onto a dream. Wild Rose is a wonderful little film, and one that has a great deal of nuance and emotional resonance in how it portrays its story, as it comments directly on the life-changing power of music, regardless of the genre, and how it provides a certain soulful catharsis that can speak not only to one’s mind but also to the depths of their heart.