Wildflower

Directed by Matt Smukler, Wildflower follows Kiernan Shipka’s Bea as she remembers the details of her upbringing and life while trapped in a coma. Filmmaker Smukler, armed with Jana Savage’s script, delivers a relentlessly erratic endeavor that fares especially poorly in its opening half hour, as Smukler has infused the early part of the proceedings with an often egregiously off-kilter sensibility that is, to put it mildly, awfully tough to take – with the emphasis on sitcom-level material exacerbated by a handful of uncomfortably broad situations and performances. (Jacki Weaver’s grating, over-the-top work as Bea’s grandmother certainly exemplifies the latter.) It’s clear, then, that Wildflower improves a fair bit once it progresses into a conventional yet watchable midsection, as the shift in focus to Bea’s coming-of-age exploits is enhanced by a series of touching, low-key sequences and Shipka’s thoroughly charming performance. (Bea’s tentative relationship with Charlie Plummer’s equally damaged figure is increasingly difficult to resist, to be sure.) And although the third act boasts a few genuinely compelling moments, including a fantastic scene featuring a typically stellar Jean Smart, Wildflower’s overlong running time paves the way for a padded-out closing stretch that isn’t as impactful as one might’ve hoped – which does, in the end, cement the picture’s place as a woefully hit-and-miss piece of work.

**1/2 out of ****