Yellow Rose-coloured glasses
Complex issues like deportation and racism are oversimplified in new drama
Cast: Eva Noblezada, Dale Watson Director: Diana Paragas Duration: 1 h 34 m
Perhaps I’m simplifying things, but I walked away from Yellow Rose with the notion that it takes a village to raise a country- and- western star. Eva Noblezada, a Broadway performer known for her starring role in a 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, stars as Rose Garcia, 17- year- old budding country singer and daughter of an undocumented Filipino immigrant ( Princess Punzalan).
Rose’s life takes a sharp turn early in the film when she goes on a date to Broken Spoke in Austin, an actual venue with a motto that tells you everything: “Last of the true Texas dancehalls and damn sure proud of it.” A fake ID gets her in the door — the film suggests staffers are happy to look the other way — but when she gets home she finds that her mom has been grabbed by ICE and is facing deportation.
From there, Rose manages to stumble from one safe haven to the next. First she lands on her aunt Gail’s doorstep, but Gail’s husband makes it clear she’s not welcome, so the kind- hearted bartender at the Spoke (Libby Villari) gives her room and board and a job to boot.
When that fails to pan out (ICE again), she drops in on a friendly country singer (Dale Watson, playing himself ) who puts her up in his Airstream, gives her a new guitar and offers to help her write and record a demo tape, all without asking for so much as a thank you, sir.
Look, I know life’s not a bed of roses when your mom is on track to be shipped back to the Philippines, but it does seem like this Rose is feeling no thorns. Even a raid on the Spoke by Immigration ends positively for her, with an official looking the other way as she cowers in a corner.
Director and co- writer Diane Paragas clearly crafted this film to showcase the singing talents of its star, at least in part.
And the scenes where Rose belts out a song are powerful; Square Peg, Circumstance and I Ain’t Going Down are all showstoppers. But there’s something a little off in Noblezada’s performance. The character is 17 while the actor is 24, and there’s a confidence in the way she holds herself that doesn’t ring true to the story.
That disconnect isn’ t enough to sink Yellow Rose, and there are some wonderful moments between Rose and her shy friend Elliot ( Liam Booth), as well as between mother and daughter. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Mom finds her practising music in her bedroom and sternly demands that she turn to homework, only to then crack up at the cliché.
But in many ways the film feels like a too- simple take on some complicated problems. When Rose first meets Watson and shows off her knowledge of country music, he responds with a micro-aggressive compliment: “That’s impressive, from someone like you.”
She just laughs it off: “Well, there are all kinds of fans.”
And he never makes another remark. Did she just solve racism? ★★★