Wild Rose

This infectiously joyous film finds a young woman balancing her dreams of being a country music star with the responsibilities of motherhood.

To write a country song you need ‘three chords and the truth’, according to songwriter Harlan Howard’s famous truism. But is it really that simple if you’re a Glaswegian single mum fresh out of prison and with no job? 23-year-old Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley, Beast) is a chaotic burst of incorrigibly bad behaviour, charisma and an electrifying set of vocal chords.

Director Tom Harper (War Book, BBC’s War & Peace) has made a cracking collaboration with debutant feature screenwriter Nicole Taylor (BAFTA winner for her BBC three-part series Three Girls), who sensitively explores the challenges of modern motherhood. A magnificent Julie Walters is Rose-Lynn’s frustrated mother, her no-nonsense working-class grit putting her at odds with her dreamer daughter, while Sophie Okonedo shines as an idealistic benefactor wanting to back Rose-Lynn. But the knockout blow is delivered by the superstarmaking performance of the irrepressible Buckley (dazzlingly delivering the songs throughout). If your heart don’t soar watching this, you just ain’t got one.