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Wildflower (2022 film)

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Wildflower
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatt Smukler
Screenplay byJana Savage
Story by
  • Matt Smukler
  • Jana Savage
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJeff Cutter
Edited byJC Bond
Music byChad Fischer
Production
companies
  • eOne
  • Limelight
  • Morning Moon
  • Hunting Lane Films
Distributed byMomentum Pictures
Release dates
  • September 12, 2022 (2022-09-12) (TIFF)
  • March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17) (United States)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wildflower is a 2022 American coming of age comedy-drama film directed by Matt Smukler and written by Jana Savage, from a story by Smukler and Savage. It stars Kiernan Shipka, Dash Mihok, Charlie Plummer, Jean Smart, Alexandra Daddario, Reid Scott, Erika Alexander, Samantha Hyde, Brad Garrett, and Jacki Weaver.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022 and was released on March 17, 2023.

Plot

Bea is the daughter of two intellectually disabled parents Sharon and Derek, and during her senior year in high school Bea is left comatose. Through flashbacks the story explores aspects of her life, including a romantic relationship with fellow student Ethan.

Cast

Development

The film was inspired by Smukler's niece, and was originally conceived of as a short film before being developed as a feature film.[1] The script was optioned by Morning Moon production company in 2020, who produced the film in partnership with Limelight and Entertainment One.[2] The filmmakers consulted disability representation activist Elaine Hall during development.[3]

Release

The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022.[4][5] It was released by Momentum Pictures on March 17, 2023 in the United States and Canada.[6]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its acting and direction while criticizing its handling of themes such as disability rights. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of 40 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Wildflower benefits from its appealing ensemble cast, but their efforts aren't quite enough to distinguish this middling coming-of-age story."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 52 out of 100, based on 7 reviews indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

William Bibbiani, writing for TheWrap, said that the film "can't seem to decide if it's a big mess or a formulaic teen drama, but when it gives us tender moments between its characters, it’s hard to really care."[9] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film "might not be a radical departure from films of its type, but it does offer buoyant performances from both fresh and familiar faces."[10]

In a review titled "When Disability Representation Goes Wrong", Sarah Milner of /Film criticized its approach to portraying disability and described it as "inspiration porn." She criticized the portrayal of Sharon and Derek in particular, calling the characters "paper-thin punchlines."[3] Wendy Ide in a review for Screen Daily compared the film to CODA (2021), but felt that Wildflower fell short in its portrayal of disabled parents by comparison.[11] Charles Bramesco, writing for ThePlaylist.net, gave the film a C- rating and described its exploration of themes as shallow.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Kiernan Shipka on Her "Emotionally Complex" Role in 'Wildflower'". September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 12, 2021). "Jean Smart, Kiernan Shipka, Alexandra Daddario, Charlie Plummer Starring In Limelight And eOne's 'Wildflower'; Morning Moon, Hunting Lane Producing". Deadline. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Milner, Sarah (September 15, 2022). "Wildflower Review: When Disability Representation Goes Wrong [TIFF]". /Film. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "Wildflower". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "TIFF 2022: Matt Smukler has created something special with 'Wildflower' - The Arts Guild". September 12, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 14, 2023). "Matt Smukler Dramedy 'Wildflower' With Kiernan Shipka, Jean Smart, Alexandra Daddario & Others Acquired By Momentum Pictures". Deadline. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Wildflower", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved September 14, 2023
  8. ^ "Wildflower", Metacritic, retrieved July 10, 2023
  9. ^ "'Wildflower' Review: Kiernan Shipka Anchors One-of-a-Kind Coming-of-Age Drama". September 17, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (September 12, 2022). "'Wildflower' Review: Kiernan Shipka Plays the Daughter of Neurodivergent Parents in an Endearing Coming-of-Age Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Ide2022-09-12T21:45:00+01:00, Wendy. "'Wildflower': Toronto Review". Screen. Retrieved November 30, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "'Wildflower' Review: Kiernan Shipka Gets Her Own 'CODA' In A Gentle Comedy About A Unique Family [TIFF]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
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