DANDELION - A Review by Jenn Rohm

DANDELION – A Review by Jenn Rohm

Certain tropes circulate every few years, adding a new voice to the story. Such is the case with Director/Writer Nicole Riegel’s latest film, Dandelion. The story of a young woman who wants to be famous, yet the world of social media and her mother’s needs have her listening to the doubts in her head. After selling her “baby” a Les Paul electric guitar to help with the bills, another gig where the audience is there to drink and would be just as happy with music from a sound system, she comes home to find her Mother doing precisely what she should not be doing. This is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and leads to Dandelion taking off to try and win a music contest at a motorcycle rally almost 2,000 miles away from her home in Cincinnati.

The casting decision for Kiki Layne to be the lead of Theresa/Dandelion in this film is one of the beautiful things about this movie. Layne came into the film already knowing how to play flute and French Horn, and while this is not shown in the film, it shows where the love of playing music comes from. Her confidence and voice progress throughout the film as the character grows and finds the “play” in playing music again. There are moments when the script and Layne are in perfect synch, such as when asking her mom what she wants to eat or when she has had enough from an audience member on the phone. Other times, it seems like she is trying to do what the screenplay and possibly the director asks, and the delivery falls short, like the fight that leads to her leaving town.

As for Thomas Doherty, his sliding in and out of his Edinburgh brogue confused me. Was he Scottish portraying an American? Or was he portraying a Scotsman who lost his accent from living in the United States? In some moments, based on other clues such as lighting and soundtrack, along with Layne’s actions, it appeared a romantic attraction to Dandelion, which was supposed to happen, yet it came across as emotionally distant. Was he attracted to her? Did he just want to use her musical talent? Or was this an intentional choice that, later in the film, clicked into place? He shows emotional talent in his last scene while in the bathroom.

I enjoy a good drama and a good romance; when well done, I enjoy the two combined. Sadly, this piece decided to add a bit of nature film and come visit South Dakota to the mix. While the moments of nature are artfully shot, I found they slowed the pace of the piece down even more, which led to more time checks than any film I have seen post-pandemic. There was also a jolting jump into an adult scene where I had to pause and double-check the rating, from the emotions and pace of the movie to that point, and after, it did not flow for me.

This is an indie film, and it does have an indie film vibe. It will have viewers who love it and can come up with multiple excellent reasons why this will be an all-time favorite. I am glad some people will support this film that way. This film was not made for me or my likes, which I am okay with.

Director: Nicole Riegel

Written By: Nicole Riegel

Cast: Thomas Doherty, Kiki Layne, Melanie Nicholls-King

MPAA Rating: Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language

Genres: Drama, Romance

Selig Rating: 2.5 stars

Runtime: 1h 53m

Release Date: July 12, 2024

Trailer: Dandelion official trailer

Website: Dandelion website

The Selig Rating Scale:

5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.