Wildflower (1991)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Sara Flanigan, based on her novel
Directed by Diane Keaton
Starring Patricia Arquette, Reese Witherspoon, William McNamara, Beau Bridges, and Susan Blakely

Released by: Artisan
Region: 1
Rating: PG-13
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent it.

Upon occasion, a film can be better than the book that inspired it. Given the maudlin and obvious original that gave birth to this, viewers are pleased to count this as an example. Wildflower is a surprisingly high-quality and tender TV-movie set in the 1930s. Witherspoon and McNamara are teenagers compassionate enough to take a strange girl under their wing--the partially deaf, epileptic Alice, played by Arquette. Locked away by her psychologically abusive father, Alice has issues that the two teens are not quite ready to deal with, and yet they are determined to help her take her place among society.

The acting in this film is truly quite good. Witherspoon shows her talent in this look at her early career, and Arquette is convincing in both her psychological and physical ailments. A special mention should be made for the fantastic work of cinematographer and Spielberg-collaborator Janusz Kaminski, who turned what could have been a cornball and flat film into something much more subtle that can comment upon human existence in general.

Keaton’s direction also serves to make this film more than it might have been otherwise. A subject that could be little more than a boring Afterschool Special or a Sunday School cliche is instead an emotional film that truly shines in places. Keaton allows the personalities of the characters to lead the way, avoiding some of the potential pitfalls of the original novel.

There are, alas, no features on this release, though it would have been nice to have had interviews or commentaries, especially with Keaton. Another nice feature would have been a look at the original book and a discussion of the trials of bringing a loved book to the screen.

The audio and video quality are both about what you would expect from TV stock from the early 1990s, which is to say that it’s a bit washed out in places and the dialogue isn’t quite as crisp as digitally restored sound would have been. As it is, however, if you aren’t bothered by the quality of what you see on TV now, then you won’t mind the few little foibles of this one and probably won’t even notice as you watch.

In short, if you enjoy character-driven films, then you should enjoy watching this one. Viewers with a low tolerance for didactic films should be warned that while Keaton has a light touch with the more tear-jerking elements, the point of the film is still very much about parental responsibilities and what it takes for a wounded person to reenter society. If you want to see the power of friendship, however, then you can’t do much better than this film.