Unlike many movies that follow a young artist’s career, we never see the titular character “make it” in Dandelion. That may seem like a spoiler, but that’s not the point of independent filmmaker Nicole Riegel’s latest work. With grounded nuanced performances from leads KiKi Layne and Thomas Doherty, the film asks what does success look like for the majority of people who don’t make it.
Dandelion (Layne) is an undiscovered singer-songwriter who is scraping by performing at an upscale Cincinnati restaurant. Struggling to provide for her ailing mother and hung up on by the likes and clicks she sees Instagram musicians get by selling out, she decides to take one more chance before hanging up her guitar for good and heads out to South Dakota for a music competition.
There she meets the handsome and unreliable Casey (Doherty), a charming, (maybe) married member of another band who left for a more financially stable life. As the two grow closer over the course of the festival, Dandelion calls into question her future.
Fans and filmgoers will know KiKi Layne from her breakout role in If Beale Street Could Talk and her roles in The Old Guard and Don’t Worry Darling. However, many will go into this movie not knowing what a beautiful voice she has. There’s not only a reserved sadness that reverberates through her performance, but it comes through in full force when she sings. Layne always seems to act with her eyes and she does tenfold in Dandelion. Riegel’s writing is nuanced and grounded. With a less expressive and impressive actor, the character — and the film— wouldn’t be as impactful.
Unlike Layne, Doherty comes at Casey from a musical background. Nearly a third of the 19 credits on his IMDb page as of the time of publication have some connection to music. From his turn as a Harry Styles-type in Girls5eva to his arch on the Hulu TV adaptation of High Fidelity to his start on the American and British versions of the Disney Channel, each music-related role feels vastly different to the one before it. Casey is no exception. Though the character could feel like the love-struck cliche meant to propel Dandelion toward her dream, Doherty plays Casey’s flaws realistically, eating up Riegel’s dialogue. Like Layne, he is captivating to watch as you never know how he will play him next.
Like her first feature Holler, Dandelion feels very personal for Nicole Riegel, maybe even more so since this film can be read as a direct commentary on the opportunities she’s received after her success. The result of this exploration is a quiet, universal, and handcrafted piece of art that sends a message that still feels fresh.
Dandelion is now playing in theaters. Watch the trailer below.
