“Dandelion” - Film Review
It’s extremely difficult to pursue a career in the arts. Whether that be singing, dancing, filmmaking, painting, what have you. There is no set path that exists to follow and no checklist to ensure success in a creative field. It’s daunting and heartbreaking at times, but for people who truly love their craft more than anything else, there is no other option. They must see it through for as long as they can. Even when everyone in their life is telling them to get a reliable job and give up their dream. It’s a plight that’s often the focus of filmmakers because the pursuit of the dream is something they know intimately. Dandelion is another in a long line of movies about someone following their dreams, but it’s an outlier for its masterful, emotionally-charged story.
Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
Dandelion (KiKi Layne) lives in the Rust Belt of the United States, Cincinnati to be exact. It’s a modest town, but one that feels suffocating to Dandelion. She’s a singer and guitar player who dreams of making it to the big leagues and is steadily gigging around the city. Dandelion is also her mother’s (Melanie Nicholls-King) primary caregiver. After a particularly intense fight, Dandelion decides to leave Cincinnati in her rearview mirror and go to a folk music competition in South Dakota. There, she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty), a guitarist who has long given up his musical dreams.
The question that’s likely in your head right now is about the songs. After all, Dandelion is a film about musicians. In order for the audience to believe that Dandelion has a shot in the world of music, she has to be putting out songs that are compelling. Luckily, the team behind the musical components is no stranger to film scores or original songs for movies. That duo is Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner, members of The National who wrote the song and dance numbers in Joe Wright’s criminally underrated Cyrano, as well as the scores for Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon and others. The Dessner brothers have written a lush, lovely set of songs for Layne and Doherty to sing. The audience gets to watch the natural progression of their relationship as the characters play off each other and encourage one another to improve their songwriting. Dandelion’s final song is goosebumps-inducing, and you forget you’re watching a movie. The film captures the raw experience of seeing a great performer live for the first time.
Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
As Dandelion spends more time at the competition in South Dakota, she grows closer to Casey. He’s charming, with the perpetually unkempt hair of a guy in a band. Perhaps more important than that, Casey believes in Dandelion. He hears her play and encourages her to join a jam session with his band. Their relationship is romantic and creative, caught up in the excitement of creating something together. There’s a palpable electricity in both performances, one that pulls them to each other and the audience to the couple. Beyond the romantic feelings, it’s a rare gift to find someone who you connect with and who shares the same passion as you. Casey and Dandelion found that in each other, or at least they think they did.
“There is nothing cute about a 40-year-old Cincinnati troubadour.” It’s this line from Dandelion’s mom that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It’s what pushes Dandelion to give this music dream of hers a chance, no matter the odds or the risks. While it likely stung to hear that coming from her mom’s mouth, it’s certainly something that has crossed Dandelion’s mind at one point or another. It’s only natural to have that self-doubt, but it’s what you do with it that makes all the difference in the world. Later, Dandelion’s mother says that she only said that she wishes that she had the courage to be a 40-year-old troubadour. That is what separates the dreamers and the doers. Only a select few people will keep going after every rejection because they simply cannot imagine their life without their art.
Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
There are a million comparisons that can be made between Dandelion and other films with similar stories. One could say that Dandelion is as if John Carney made Wild Rose. In doing so, though, you’d lose the beautiful world that writer/director Nicole Riegel created. Like Dandelion, she comes from Ohio and has dreams of life beyond the Rust Belt. Dandelion shows the battle to pursue the thing you love and how going home can show how far you’ve come.
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