Ain't no yellow brick road runnin' through Glasgow.
If A Star is Born tells the story of one woman's catapult-trajectory into musical fame, Wild Rose focuses on realities that are rather more mundane. Sure Lady Gaga's character Ally had to swallow some tough truths about life in the music industry, but the 'Rose' of Tom Harper's new film may never get a foot in the door to begin with - and it's not just the flaky nature of the X-Factor era that's keeping her back. Wild Rose doesn't have the glamour of the Gaga remake, but what and who it does have is impressive in its own right.
Jessie Buckley plays Rose-Lynn Harlan, singer since the age of fourteen at the Grand Ole Opry - not the one in Nashville, Tennessee, its namesake in Glasgow, Scotland. She's just completed a year-long prison sentence so stardom is scarcely beckoning, but then 'Johnny Cash was a convicted felon', as she reminds one detractor. A cleaning job at a well-to-do couple's townhouse provides her with an unexpected lead in her search for success, but a criminal record isn't the only thing holding her back. She's a mother of two young children, with her own mum (Julie Walters) constantly reminding her of her primary responsibilities in life and how incompatible they are with artistic strivings. Rose's dream of Nashville is fraught with real-life complications.
The Wild Rose story is familiar to anyone who's followed the travails of musical wannabes on reality TV. What it has in addition is a tough honesty that undercuts much of those shows' sentimentality. The sweary, funny, sometimes emotionally bruising screenplay gets to the heart of Rose, refusing to sugar-coat either her or her grim circumstances. Harper's direction is appropriately edgy, while the cinematography bleeds out colour to emphasise housing estate grey. The gulf between Rose's environment and her Americana fantasies couldn't be more clear.
Carrying the film on her shoulders and bearing it up nearer to greatness is Buckley. Already a star for those who've seen TV drama Taboo or the BBC's recent War and Peace saga (also directed by Harper), the girl from Killarney, Ireland is now on the cusp of global celebrity. Her Rose is mouthy and life-embracing, belligerent, damaged and vulnerable - instinctively honest in what she blurts out and yet simultaneously self-deluding. She's a mum who still acts like a child and who's most alive fronting a band on stage. To the credit of both actress and screenplay she's allowed to be a total train-wreck - barely likeable at points, as she stumbles from one disaster to the next. It's a strikingly real portrayal and thus all the more powerful when reality finally hits. As for her singing voice - it's as soulful as her Glaswegian speech is earthy, rivalling Gaga for her emotional richness and vocal control. It provides Rose with an undeniably special talent at odds with her drab surroundings.
Buckley isn't alone in delivering first-rate work either. Julie Walters brings her customary realness, tempering Grandma's disapproval with warmth and making us feel the woman's despair. Two lovely child performances complete Rose's family (while acting as endearing obstacles to her showbiz greatness), and Sophie Okonedo is amusingly over-the-top as our heroine's social-climbing employer/number-one-fan Susannah.
To quote Tom Jones, however, this is all about the voice, and in this case the tempestuous personality behind it. Rose may not always be easy to like, but we understand her conflict and ultimately root for her - that she'll embrace her family like they need her to, and still get to share her gift with the world. Is that too much for a working-class Glasgow girl to ask?
Gut Reaction: An emotional gamut - laughter, irritation, sympathy, sadness - and a bit of joy (not least at the dramatic and musical craft on display).
Memorable Moment: No chords. Just the painful truth.
Ed's Verdict: 8/10. Wild Rose is a solidly told story of frustrated dreams, but it attains a whole other level due to a lead performance of gobsmacking awesomeness. World, time to meet Jessie Buckley.
No comments:
Post a Comment