Wildflower

This is a beautiful heartfelt movie. Performances were great, music was wonderful. I Ioved it.

This movie was entertaining, suspenseful and deals with topics that I think aren't shown enough in Hollywood today. It had a very interesting plot while still keeping a faithful undertone without being too overpowering. The dealing with mental illness was something that really made this movie stand out. I don't think it is represented enough today and this movie presented it without throwing it in the viewer's face. That is a topic that can't be fooled around with and Faith Street Films did a very good job representing it and showing it in a realistic, yet tasteful way. What I loved is how they use what she thought was a weakness and turn it around to become her biggest strength. The movie is an uplifting film for viewers, letting them know that with God, all things are possible and He is there in the darkest of times. I think this is an important film to put out there because a lot of times, it is exactly what people need sometimes. Overall, this movie had a very wholesome and meaningful storyline. I'd highly recommend this movie.

I really liked this movie. The main character has some voice over narration which is a bit made-for-TV, but there is also a strong undercurrent of tension which is what really pulled me in. Faith and God are strong themes here, but not so much that it detracts from the story if that's not your cup of tea. It also deals with strong mental illness themes, especially in the realm of trusting your own mind (or not).

It seems at times like the movie can't decide if it's a thriller or a made-for-TV drama. It's quite tense, but there are odd moments that are a bit cheesy. All the same I enjoyed it.

This movie may not be a major thriller, but it is a Christian film with a good story. The Christian theme is not over-bearing either. It is a good story about a woman dealing with some rough experiences, and the faith is the underlying piece that gives the characters strength.

It deals with an unsolved murder and traumatizing childhood experiences, but ultimately it is a movie about hope even in the worst of circumstances.

A 20 year-old (Nathalia Ramos) in a college town in northern New York has blackouts and premonitions, which pave the way for her to meet a troubled, but compassionate handyman (Cody Longo). They sort of team-up to investigate a missing girl case from a dozen years earlier. Kevin McCorkle plays the police chief and Alexa Rose Steele a young woman in the town.

"Wildflower" (2014) is a crime drama/mystery with paranormal bits that only cost $650,000, but seems like more because it's so well made (by writer/director Nicholas DiBella). This is not a thriller, as it has been wrongly designated in some places, although there are a couple brief thrills. It's a low-key drama/mystery with slight faith-based aspects, mostly because the dude is fixing-up pews at a church facility and is dealing with disillusionment due to a tragedy. The pastor of the fellowship is actually a small role (Benjamin Ashbrook).

So don't watch this if you loathe the very concept of God or want a crime thriller with a dynamic scene every 10 minutes, like "Deadfall" (2012), which is a decent flick albeit contrived and unlikely. This one, by contrast, plays out like real life.

For anyone who scoffs at the paranormal bits, these have to do with what the bible calls the 'word of knowledge,' the ability to know things about the past or immediate future which you wouldn't otherwise know without this spiritual gift. Of course people with such gifts are understandably viewed by secularists as crazy and desperately needing the Psych Ward, which the movie touches on.

To appreciate this picture you have to enjoy lifelike drama. It effectively shows how ordinary people and their stories are more interesting than the most overblown effects-laden extravaganzas (to me, at least). Both Nathalia Ramos and Cody Longo own their roles, especially Nathalia (particularly as the story proceeds). There's an intangible honesty & reverence to the proceedings that appeals to me.

Also, this is about way more than just solving a mystery, but the movie wisely takes the subtle approach, unlike "Deadfall" which smashes you over the head with its well-intentioned points.

The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Brockport & Rochester, New York, about an hour's drive east of Buffalo by Lake Ontario.

GRADE: B.