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Wild Rose

8/10

Stars: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters., Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Sives, James Harkness, Craig Parkinson

Director: Tom Harper

Powered by its two charismatic lead performances, and solidly set in Glasgow, this is a feelgood film all right, but one that looks at real-life problems and doesn't cop out with a Hollywood ending.

Irish actress Buckley, an earthier version of Jane Asher (remember?) is simply superb as the Rose of the title, while Walters gives her best performance in ages as her mother who, frequently lumbered with Rose's two small children, has virtually given up on her. And their Scottish accents are, to the untrained ear at least, entirely convincing.

Born and bred in Glasgow, Rose-Lynn Harlan (Buckley), fresh out of jail for trafficking heroin, returns to her mother and kids, still dreaming of going to Nashville to fulfil her dreams of becoming a country music singer.

Forced to wear a tag on her ankle, however, she has little chance of going any further than the other side of the Clyde.

Buckley, the find from Beast and TV's The Last Post and War and Peace, is an absolutely rattling singer and no mean actress; she makes Lady Gaga look like a beginner. The camera dwells at length on her face and the actress responds with a nuanced performance that spellbindingly commands centre stage. A star is, indeed, born here.

David Quinlan

UK 2018. UK Distributor: EmtertainmentOne. Colour by Panalux.
95 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.

Review date: 16 Aug 2019

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