First Take: Wild Rose- a star is literally born, Scottish style

SYNOPSIS: A musician from Glasgow dreams of becoming a Nashville star.

One of the things that’s given me the most joy over the last year has been some of the choices Odeon have made for their now infamous Screen Unseen strand of showings- you go in not knowing what film it’ll be. This month, they turned to a film which premiered at Toronto in September, and having now seen it, I can get why it was a Screen Unseen- as it is a brilliant film which probably won’t get a big release.

Tom Harper is in charge of this one, having helmed the BBC’s 2016 series of War & Peace (as well as directing the poorly received follow-up to The Woman in Black back in 2014), and he does a pretty solid job at directing this film- coming in at 1 hour 40 minutes, there is enough character development to satisfy audiences, but working to that script from Nicole Taylor does have its issues, especially towards the final act of the film. It’s shot brilliantly by George Steel, and the music from Jack Arnold will probably attract a cult following once the soundtrack is out.

Now, the performances. There is arguably one major element of this film’s success, and it is obvious when I say the words Jessie Buckley. She was rightly nominated for this year’s BAFTA Rising Star, and this performance from one of the industry’s brightest new talents cements her status as someone who can turn in some incredible work- and working with the one and only Julie Walters, the pair of them make this story feel believable. Supporting them is a cast that includes Sophie Okonedo, Craig Parkinson, and a few others- but this really is Buckley’s film.

THE VERDICT

Wild Rose will be overlooked by the film buying departments at mainstream cinema chains. But if last night proved anything, there is audience demand for films like this- independent, homegrown films that provide an alternative take on tried and tested plots. It felt fresh, and with that Jessie Buckley performance, the film will garner a lot of attention.

RATING: 4.5/5