Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 7, 2021

Yellow Rose is both timely and timeless. It's a film that speaks out from the heart against stereotypes and champions acceptance without morphing the message into political diatribe. Writer/Director Diane Paragas has created a film that is simple and sincere but well spoken in its exploration of complex issues surrounding race and immigration on the more "headline news" side of the ledger but also more artfully, and perhaps more meaningfully, the human condition through the prism of personal passion and a desire to live a life of one's choosing, not within a premade construct of premanufactured expectations. The film is smart, well written, extraordinarily well acted, and a pleasure for its able blend of entertainment value and finely woven commentaries on a number of topics.

Rose (Eva Noblezada) lives with her mother (Princess Punzalan) in the back of the Bastrop Inn in Bastrop, Texas, a small city southeast of Austin. Her mother is illegal and while she doesn't lay low, she frets over the possibility of deportation. Rose is an aspiring singer/songwriter who is in love with Country music. Even if she doesn't match the attached ethnic stereotype it's a genre she loves and she's quite the accomplished amateur. She befriends a local music shop employee, Elliot (Liam Booth), and Rose persuades her mother to allow Elliot to take her into Austin for an experience visit to the city's famous Honky Tonk, the Broken Spoke. Rose has a great time and meets Texas music legend Dale Watson (himself) for good measure. But Rose returns home late that night to find her mother arrested by ICE agents. Rose escapes and briefly moves in with her tita Gail (Lea Salonga) but is distressed with the sterile environment and lack of opportunity to pursue her dreams. Eventually she finds herself living in a backroom at the Broken Spoke and doing odd jobs to support her stay. Watson catches wind of her talents and takes her under his wing, but as she grows musically she must face the reality of her mother's absence and the danger of her own deportation along the way.

One could see Yellow Rose as almost two films in one. One side is the story of a young, maturing woman who wants to forge her own path and identity in the country music scene, even if she doesn't physically fit the stereotype for that pursuit. On the other side is the story of her mother's deportation. Both have something to say but it is the way these stories build off of one another where the film bears its fruit. Had Rose's mother not been arrested and deported, it's possible that Rose would not have found the freedom, or maybe even the courage, to pursue her dreams. She is almost forced to do so, at least once she rejects staying with Gail, leaving the comfort and luxury of the upper crust for the opportunity to follow her own path. Paragas proves adept -- borderline masterful, perhaps -- at interweaving these narrative threads and building a story of purpose and heart that doesn't place Rose on a generic life path to personal and professional growth but does so with tangible feeling and uniquely personal story beats that see the film wind up in familiar territory but take its own pathway to get there.

Ultimately, Yellow Rose builds and tells a gentle story of soul and purpose. The film does not patronize its audience. It’s authentic as a story of growth in brokenness, fear, and doubt but also determination to follow a dream. Rose isn't depicted as a superhero. She's a girl who fights for what she wants, takes the time to hone her talent, and doesn't allow circumstances to derail her. Sidetrack, sure, but never push her completely off the path she wants to walk. Much of the success can be attributed to Eva Noblezada who delivers a beautifully intricate and intimate performance as Rose. She certainly can sing but more than that she is well capable of revealing her character's very essence, building a fully realized human being who is more than the sum of the large, core externalities that broadly shape the character. Noblezada is perhaps more concerned with, and more capable of, building the character's fine-point personality traits and building a tangible heart and soul that may go physically unseen but never unfelt. It's a stunning performance that is supported by two very good efforts from a pair of critical supports, including Liam Booth as her friend and potential romantic interest and Dale Watson playing himself.

Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony brings Yellow Rose to Blu-ray with a capable 1080p transfer sourced from the original digital shoot. There is a certain, if sometimes only slight, ethereal quality to the picture. It's a little soft and hazy at times, almost diffuse and dreamy in some shots and scenes in some ways. As the film progresses -- look at the 66-minute mark -- the image gains sharpness, whether by happenstance or by design (this reviewer believes the latter as Rose's life gains clarity with her focus on music and the joy the singing and songwriting process brings to her life). Here, it's razor-sharp, expressing fine point skin, hair, clothing, and environmental details with commanding effectiveness and efficiency; this is especially true of later-film scenes in which Rose and Dale Watson are sitting on the trailer stoop to write and sing songs. Color output largely follows with some softer tones in play early on and appearing fuller and more vivid later in the film. But throughout the palette holds, whether in sunny exteriors or dim interiors, including the Bastrop Inn or, particularly, the Broken Spoke bar and dance floor. But black levels are solid enough and skin tones appear accurate within the film's intended visual parameters. This image does, as is typical for a digitally photographed production, display some low light noise. Check out scenes at the 59-minute and 86-miunte marks for two particularly obvious examples. But beyond this there are no source flaws or encode follies to report. This is a well defined image from Sony.

Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Yellow Rose's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is in-tune from the beginning. The track may not be assertive and aggressive but it's very rewarding for its attention to detail and ability to perfectly compliment the film in any environment and under any circumstance, whether gentle outdoor exteriors or densely packed barroom interiors. The track enjoys plenty of examples of fine natural atmosphere; several key scenes take place outside, notably later in the film when Rose is living at Watson's compound. Here, light insect and wind ambience may be subtle but these are also critical elements in bringing the listener into these locations. The packed Broken Spoke dance floor blends together crowd din, music, and dialogue (understandably a bit hard to hear clearly) to fine, realistic balance and immersion detailing. But the track obviously lives and dies by the music, and every guitar strum, vocalized lyric, and band playback is first-rate for clarity and stage presence, dominant along the front but finding just the right balance of back channel subtlety to draw the listener into the film's musical world. General dialogue is clear, center focused, and well prioritized save for those aforementioned barroom/dance floor scenes when disbalance serves to help better recreate the environment.

Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beyond an assortment of trailers for other Sony films, this Blu-ray release of Yellow Rose contains no supplemental content. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Yellow Rose Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What a gem of a little film. Yellow Rose packs in purpose and soul without pandering and stiff-necked rigidity. It flows extraordinarily well. It's a feel-good movie that doesn't sacrifice humanity and narrative richness for storytelling ease. It's very well performed and expertly directed, too. Sony's Blu-ray is disappointingly featureless but does deliver high quality video and audio. Highly recommended.