Yellow Rose

Directed by Diane Paragas, Yellow Rose follows undocumented teenager Rose Garcia (Eva Noblezada) as she’s forced to head out on her own after her mother is picked up by ICE – with the narrative detailing the sympathetic character’s ongoing attempts at both helping her mother and pursuing her dream of becoming a country singer. Filmmaker Paragas delivers an exceedingly rough-around-the-edges drama that benefits rather substantially from Noblezada’s stirring, compelling turn as the central character, with the movie, likewise, boasting a number of strong periphery performances that effectively cultivate and perpetuate an atmosphere of relative authenticity. It’s disappointing to note, then, that Yellow Rose is otherwise almost entirely devoid of compelling attributes designed to sustain the viewer’s interest, as Paragas offers up a paint-by-numbers narrative overflowing with contrived situations and encounters that inevitably (and increasingly) exacerbate the less-than-involving vibe. The picture’s failure is ultimately rather disappointing given just how appealing a figure Rose eventually does become (ie one can’t help but root for her success), and it’s clear, in the end, that all the good intentions in the world can’t compensate for a screenplay that seems to have emerged from a template for movies of this ilk.

** out of ****