Wild Rose

Glasgow grit meets Nashville swagger for a funny and touching musical drama from Tom Harper that mostly strikes the right note. Jessie Buckley is sensational as Scottish songstress Rose-Lynn Harlan, who's as troubled as she is talented. Fresh out of prison, this brazenly ambitious live wire is a mother trying and failing to make amends to her two young children, while her own mum (Julie Walters) pours scorn on her dream of country-music success. Singing with the same unbridled passion that lands her in hot water, Rose-Lynn finds a champion when she begins cleaning the house of the benevolent Susannah (Sophie Okonedo). Screenwriter Nicole Taylor (TV's Three Girls) adds enough reality checks to the star-is-born story to create a dynamite protagonist who combines salty humour with the achy, breaky heart of an artist. Buckley co-wrote several of the original songs with Taylor, and captivates with Rose-Lynn's fallibility, soul-shaking voice and gumption. The narrative tends toward the predictable as it strives to deliver a satisfying happy ending, but the depth and determination of its leading lady sets it apart.