The classic star-is-born scenario is delightfully turned on its ear in Tom Harper’s rousing Glasgow-set story of the irrepressible Rose-Lynn, a mother of two, freshly released from a short stint in prison, dreaming of Nashville and raring to storm the mountain of fame as a country singer. Jessie Buckley’s (Beast, Festival 2018) performance as the charismatic but troubled Rose-Lynn galvanizes the film; her full-bodied singing and dramatic turn—full of hope, rage, uncertainty, and ambition—are equally impressive. Buckley receives strong support from Julie Walters as Rose-Lynn’s disapproving mother and Sophie Okonedo as a well-meaning woman for whom Rose-Lynn keeps house.
Tom Harper was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film and won the award Best British Short at the British Independent Film Awards for an early short, Cubs (2006). He has since become a prolific director of both TV and films. For TV, he has directed episodes of This is England ’86 (2010) and Peaky Blinders (2013-), as well as the mini-series War & Peace (2016). He made his feature directing debut with The Scouting Book for Boys (2009) and went on to make War Book (2014) and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014). His next film is The Aeronauts, which he wrote as well as directed.