Dandelion

I had no idea that Kiki Layne had such a beautiful voice. She and her costar Thomas Doherty have wonderful chemistry and musical harmony. Riegel does an incredible job of capturing the universal struggling artist narrative set in a gorgeous, naturalistic Americana setting. This film reminds me so much of one of my all-time favorite folk music films, Once. It also has traces of Nomadland and American Honey. I almost wish we got to know more about Dandelion's grief due to giving up her career to take care of family. But the film was still very grounded and had a lot of heart. The cinematography and music were also both so stunning!

Greetings again from the darkness. Creativity is such an intangible topic ... so esoteric in nature that those most driven by it are likely misunderstood by everyone else. The second feature film from writer-director Nicole Riegel (HOLLER, 2020) focuses on a talented, yet frustrated troubadour living in Cincinnati.

Dandelion (played beautifully by KiKi Layne, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, 2018) has a three-nights per week gig at a local hotel bar. Whether she plays familiar covers or her own original songs, the bar audience pays her little attention, opting instead for personal chatter and cell phone time. The gigs provide a paycheck, but it's not enough to cover her expenses, and those of her sick mother (Melanie Nicholls-King). Mom doesn't exactly help her own situation, and neither does she offer much encouragement to her daughter, generating more friction between the two.

It's the age old "paying your dues" syndrome that so many musicians experience. When the bartender shoves a flyer at her, Dandelion scoffs at the notion of playing a music festival at a South Dakota motorcycle rally ... so we know immediately she'll be headed there, selling off her beloved Gibson guitar and leaving mom at home. Once in South Dakota (Sturgis is never mentioned), her time on stage doesn't go well for Dandelion, and neither does much else. Well, that is, until sparks fly with fellow musician Casey (Thomas Doherty, "The Lodge"), one who surrendered his own dream years before. The sparks are both romantic and musical, though everyone but Dandelion knows Casey from Edinburgh is not all he seems.

The two bond through songwriting and other intimate activities ... right up until the not shocking twist occurs. I couldn't help but think of the similarities (and differences) between this and two other films, ONCE (2007) and FLORA AND SON (2023). Chasing dreams and creating music never stops for Dandelion, despite the constant influences and hurdles. The music is definitely a standout here, as it's written by twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National.

Director Riegel and cinematographer Lauren Guiteras use a heavy dose of close-ups and tight shots to convey the strains of emotions, especially for Dandelion, while also serving up some beautiful shots and unusual camera angles. The camera work here is as artsy as the music. The ending finds Dandelion working through her pain to discover her true self. While not a masterpiece, there is enough depth here to set it apart from many indies.

Opening in theaters July 12, 2024.

Kiki Layne's performance was the most redeeming quality of this sluggish story. Musicians will hang with the arduous task that is remaining committed to your craft. And of course, along the way... connections are made and lost. Going for your dream is the solace you have at least. But that solace was never known in this movie.

Dandelion rarely sang loud enough. The journey felt more melancholy than rewarding... or at least the director only wanted to show the painful work of making it? Her performance rocked and the campfire scene(s)were more raw & sensitive to making music than many scenes were..

This film reminded me a lot of "Inside Llewyn Davis," about a folk singer who drifts around, won't get a paying job, couch surfs, lives off of others and stubbornly defends his right to sing and play songs that very few are interested in. In this case, the protagonist is female and black, singing outside a genre that would lead to worldly success.

She is sullen in her disappointment that society isn't opening its doors to her, insulted that the few patrons of the bar where she does a part-time gig are distracted by their interactions with each other and their phones. She is completely ignorant of how the music industry operates and its need to make a profit. It is not there to cater to the egos of everyone who likes to sing and write songs just because they are passionate about it.

But she doesn't know that and therefore goes out to a dead-end gig in Utah, where she meets another impoverished musician. Her delusion continues into falling for him, even though he shows no promise of stability or any kind of future. But they do make beautiful music together. But it is delusional because she has not really had the experience of a seasoned musician's lifestyle.

Being talented is not enough. Thousands of talented musicians need day jobs to support their need to perform. Talent is not entitlement and a free pass to be gloomy and sullen unless the musical vibe is right for you. And so I couldn't really feel sympathy for Dandelion because I have known too many musicians who have had to suck it up because the world wasn't crying out for them nor were producers around wanting to risk time and money on them.

I get it. The world is crass and doesn't appreciate true art. It wants the next trend and something that is probably more than the internal emotional journey of a naive artist. The music industry isn't there to cater to everyone who thinks they need to express themselves.

The heroin's inner life is not that profound. Her voice is good. But her presence at the beginning, while gigging at the hotel, is dispirited and blah. She has no confidence and in the end she does acquire confidence, but do we care? Yet the talent in this film is undeniable, though the action is slow moving.

Social media has such a huge negative impact on young people who focus on successful "artists" and their financial achievements.

They recognise the little skills required and believe that they too will reach similar accomplishment.

They ignore the thousands of failures, the shortness of viral success, and the subsequent crashes of those who cannot deal with the loss of success. The blind who once could see, The bell tolls for thee.

I agree it is better to have a single passion than none at all, it is preferable to be a creator/performer rather than a follower/consumer. But an overwhelming majority fails to make a life from it, and why should they, when they lack originality and technical skills.

The female guitar singer is a below-average guitarist, and her singing, including voice, lyrical content and melodies, is pretty unappealing. I hoped she'd realise that she needed more power, variety, and creativity to stand out amid the multitudes of copycats of The Voice!. Participating in such an event is never mentioned, and right so, she did not have the talent.

Tonio K. And Loudon Wainwright III created their unique style since replicating Bob Dylan or Paul Simon would not have been innovative at my time.

When she meets a biker who is similarly unable to achieve his artistic dreams, their partnership fosters creativity but ultimately leads to even deeper disillusionment.

I know a lot of young dreamers who have one single passion, very little talent, and, most importantly, little willingness to further their specialization. Some believe that their talent is sufficient, though it is only a starting point. They consider themselves victim of their passion to avoid facing real-life challenges, such as passing through the educational system and enduring 40 years of 8-hour work under authorities to pay the rent, and raise kids. The selfishness of the characters is stunning.

I disagree with her mother's statement that a single passion is a blessing; rather, it is a curse or a prison. Except for the victimization, the movie is not investigating the refusal to grow up.

I took a job without ever abandoning any of my numerous passions, including the guitar. My youth was in the 1970s, of groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd or Rush, and when I saw their talent, it never crossed my mind to feel like a victim to not make it to a professional level.

Also, as Dandelion, I did not like to perform in front of the ignoring crowd, unable to recognize and respect hard to play track requiring true skills, alike many of Eric Johnson's tracks. What a master of the instrument..

In the beginning, her mother criticises her for ending as a 40-year-old retired troubadour. At the end, she clarifies that it was not meant in a negative sense and supports her. Then, after all of her breakdowns, Dandelion suddenly shows up with a complete band in a nightclub, to a lot of applause, shredding her guitar (not very well) in a completely different style, with more determination but still no originality.

This may be asking too much of those who created the music, but the transition from a monotonous solitary acoustic songwriter describing her heartaches to an enraged shouting electric guitar virtuoso is completely undeveloped.

Folks cannot survive without an income without parasitizing their parents, something the film not only ignores, but suggests the contrary, implying she had to sell her guitar to take care of her mother. I was in the same situation and choose early a mentally exhausting and depressing job to relieve my weak mother from being a burden.

For a passionate acoustic guitar player like me, this movie feels so offbeat in every way.