Wildflower

Chloe can’t remember anything before her 8th birthday—learning to ride a bike, or her first day of school. And for the last 12 years, she has experienced blackouts, during which she sees flashes of a frightening, violent episode occurring between the indistinct figures of a man and a young woman near a remote country bridge. Chloe’s visions manifest in her artwork: Blurry sketches of the attack and enigmatic scribblings of the phrase “Lost Soul” fill her canvases.

Chloe’s blackouts also lead to reckless behavior that draws the attention of a police detective, Sgt. Stanford (Kevin McCorkle). After Stanford questions her, Chloe (Nathalia Ramos) begins to sense her visions might have something to do with a girl’s disappearance 12 years earlier. But neither Stanford nor Chloe’s mother, Nicole (Shari Rigby), believes a connection exists between Chloe’s visions and the unsolved disappearance; Stanford and Nicole even urge Chloe to check into a mental hospital. Only Chloe’s new friend, Josh (Cody Longo), supports her.

The thin layer of suspense (with a few brief violent images giving the film its PG-13 rating) affords only momentary impressions of a bona fide murder mystery. For the most part, Wildflower feels like a faith film—moody acoustic guitar soundtrack, hipster-pastor’s informal counseling sessions in the pews, and all. It doesn’t mean a Christian Law and Order: SVU can’t be made, but Wildflower doesn’t strike a compelling balance—as, for example, October Baby did—between message and gritty subject matter.

Despite the film’s awkward tone, solid acting bolsters Wildflower. Christians do experience bad stuff, but the sub-90-minute film opens too many cans of worms—Chloe’s coming to grips with her victimization, her strained relationship with her mother, the cold case investigation, and Josh’s spiritual turmoil—all of which writer-director Nicholas DiBella closes out with unsatisfying platitudes: “Who taught you to see with your heart?” and “Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can see the top.”