Movie #13 : Wildflower

 When I found out this movie was based on a true story, I teared up a bit because the story was so emotional. The main character went through so much on her own and is very resilient. I originally watched clips of this movie on TikTok which is how I found out about it. I have been planning on watching it for a while, so this morning I decided to put it on with my sister. She loved it as well. "Wildflower" was released in 2023 and directed by Matt Smukler. 

The movie starts out with the love story between Sharon and Derek who get married and have a child named Bambi, Bea for short. The only difference with Sharon and Derek's story is that both of them are mentally disabled here they have the brain of a child. Bea grows up to be an independent young woman who helps take care of her parents. But suddenly she lands in a coma. You will spend going back and forth from the past leading up to the coma to Bea's inner monologue inside the coma.

I really enjoyed how the story goes back and forth from this traumatic event and sets the scene starting from before Bea was born. It allows the viewers a look into what it was like to raise Derek and Sharon and how the people around them struggled with them being together. It also let the viewers know how hard it was for her growing up and how at some point she turned into the parent. She will have to spend the majority of her life taking care of her parents. 

Also, shoutout to Kiernan Shipka. I have only seen her in the movie "Let it Snow", so I really enjoyed seeing her in a main role. And she is a fabulous actress. She really portrayed Bea well and during the one scene where she was yelling at her parents, I could literally feel her defeat and frustration. Kiernan is only 23 years old and is already giving moving performances. I can see a very bright future for her.

One thing that pissed me off in this movie was that no one was giving Bea a break. Like her guidance who was pushing her to apply to college never even asked why she was struggling or gave her some slack. Her boyfriend got mad at her for saying she could take care of him. And some girls at school would literally bully her for not having money and her parents. Like bro what is wrong with you? The only person who I felt like was valid to be mad at her was her best friend Nia who was frustrated at her for regular things like prom and spending too much time with her boyfriend. But of course, they came back together because they are best friends. I really enjoyed Nia as a character and thought she was funny. 

After looking at the casting for this movie, I learned that the woman who plays Sharon, Samantha Hyde, has autism. I really like how they actually cast a disabled person for a disabled role. The man who plays Derek, Dash Mihok, also has a disability, Tourette's Syndrome. Casting disabled people is so important for representation and it also shows that disabled people had a say in a movie about them. 

Overall, I really loved this movie. I haven't seen one like it before and I am so glad that I watched it. You can watch it on Hulu now.