TIFF 2022: Wildflower Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was one of the many successful Netflix series that was prematurely cancelled by the network, leaving fans with loose ends. Since the cancellation of the series, there’s been a lot of speculation and excitement regarding star Kiernan Shipka’s next move. She has mainly stuck to television throughout her career, but has demonstrated a rare magnetism and charisma that could cement her as Hollywood royalty. After starring in the Roku Channel miniseries Swimming With Sharks and briefly appearing in the most recent season of Riverdale as Sabrina, she has finally made the transition to film.

Wildflower is a coming-of-age dramedy from director Matt Smukler, who adapted the film from an unreleased documentary of the same name that he made about a member of his extended family. Shipka stars as Bea Johnson, a teenager who has to navigate life with both parents battling intellectual disabilities and a dysfunctional extended family that doesn’t quite know how to help.

Wildflower is an endearing coming-of-age dramedy boasting an impressive lead performance from Shipka. While it hits many of the cliché beats that coming-of-age films are known and often criticized for, the specific way Smuckler chooses to tell this story adds stakes and is best seen without knowing anything before. Shipka delivers a charismatic performance that may be her best to date. As Bea, she captures all the complexities of being a teenager with a sharp sense of humor, while always keeping in mind that she’s portraying a real-life person and bringing an added layer of depth to her portrayal.

The film’s depiction of the mentally disabled community could rub some the wrong way, as the actions of Bea’s parents are often played off for comedic effect which could come across as insensitive. The characters are based on Smuckler’s relatives and their real-life experiences, so it’s clear that he means no harm and attempts to portray them in a compassionate light, but it leans too heavily into the comedy at their expense.

In the end, Wildflower doesn’t look to reinvent the wheel and some will definitely take issues with some of Smuckler’s decisions as a director. Nevertheless, it is a thoroughly enjoyable coming-of-age film led by a spectacular lead performance from Kiernan Shipka

still courtesy of TIFF

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Tristan French