Dare to be Wild is an ambitious and breathtaking story about Irishwoman, Mary Reynolds and her journey to become the gold medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show in Chelsea, London, England. Directed by Vivienne De Courcy, t
he film is filled with great performances from the cast, notably from Emma Greenwell who plays Mary Reynolds as she overcomes various obstacles in her way to becoming the gold medal champion at the flower show.
Perhaps the biggest star of the film itself is the titular wild. This movie is filmed beautifully with landscape shot after landscape shot showing just how beautiful this world is in areas that are relatively untouched by the danger that is modern man and industrialization. From scenes in the wilds of Ireland and the breathtaking views of the deserts and forests of Ethiopia, it is truly the wild that steals the show in this film that on the surface is about a garden show but the theme of saving and preserving the planet is ever present.
The film begins with a young Mary Reynolds being captivated with the natural beauty of Ireland and being able to see what looks like fairies flying around. In the next scene she’s shown as an adult looking for a job with one of the top garden designers in the world. All isn’t what it seems when Mary gets this dream job and soon she finds herself out of work and her green book, as she calls it is missing. Now, without her original designs she sets out to enter the Chelsea Flower Show, which is the World Cup of garden shows to prove to herself and her peers that she is destined for greatness and to show the importance of preserving the wild.
At this point in the film we meet our secondary lead, a violinist named Christy, played by Tom Hughes who also works to preserve the Earth’s natural beauty, yet not in the same fashion or method of Mary. The film takes us on a journey to Ethiopia where both Mary and Christy’s characters grow and learn from both each other and the wild that they are working hard to preserve.
This film also has some funny moments as well wrapped up in the themes to save the planet. A very famous monarch is shown in this movie in a hilarious exchange. Also throughout this movie you get to know and you grow to care about all of the characters involved in this ride to the Chelsea Flower Show. If you’re at all interested in saving the planet or just love to see amazing landscapes and wonderful film direction, go on over to Netflix and watch Dare to be Wild.
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