Wildflower: Review

wildflower: Review

Named after her mother’s favourite cartoon character, Bea ‘Bambi’ Johnson (Kiernan Shipka) is the child of two parents, Derek (Dash Mihok) and Sharon (Samantha Hyde) who both have learning difficulties. Sharon was born that way and Derek was hit by a car when he was a child and has a life long brain injury. However, they both fell in love, got married and soon along came Bea.

As Bea grew up, she came to learn that her parents were not exactly the same as her friends’ parents, but she stood by them even when the authorities decided to intervene. However as with most stories of teenage life comes love and thinking about the future and that’s where things get complicated.

Wildflower is a feel-good coming of age comedy drama based on a true story of a woman whose parents have learning difficulties. A story such as this may conjure up ideas of a child acting as a parent and weighed down by the weight of responsibility, however thankfully Wildflower doesn’t do that.



Instead, Bea is shown to be a typical teenage girl with a ‘normal’ upbringing who experiences the kinds of things a girl her age should. However, despite the hook of the story being that her parents are neurodivergent, nothing all that special happens to her.

This may be the point to show that parents such as Derek and Sharon can raise a child just as well as any other. The problem is that the movie makes them side characters and often the comic relief in their own story. This makes the movie feel like a missed opportunity as it brushes the issues of their disabilities aside.

All the cast do well and Shipka continues to prove her screen presence in a lead role. However, it feels that a lot of the time the story is people talking about a couple with learning difficulties rather than letting them speak for themselves.

Hopefully the audience will realise the subtleties showing that parents such as these are the same as any other. Although without exploring their relationship in much detail, it doesn’t do much to dispel the myths.


We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.


Trending on BRWC:

Dune Part 2: The BRWC Review

Dune Part 2: The BRWC Review

By Rosalynn Try-Hane / 28th February 2024 / 2 Comments
Tim Travers & The Time Travelers Paradox: Review

Tim Travers & The Time Travelers Paradox: Review

By BRWC / 19th March 2024
Spaceman: The BRWC Review

Spaceman: The BRWC Review

By BRWC / 5th March 2024 / 1 Comment
Ride Baby Ride: Short Review

Ride Baby Ride: Short Review

By BRWC / 10th March 2024
Dogman Blu-Ray Comp!

ENDED: Dogman Blu-Ray Comp!

By Alton Williams / 10th March 2024

Cool Posts From Around the Web:



Joel found out that he had a talent for absorbing film trivia at a young age. Ever since then he has probably watched more films than the average human being, not because he has no filter but because it’s one of the most enjoyable, fulfilling and enriching experiences that a person can have. He also has a weak spot for bad sci-fi/horror movies because he is a huge geek and doesn’t care who knows it.

NO COMMENTS

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.