Dreamin' Wild

"Dreamin' Wild" is an artful, lovingly wrought tale, enchanting in its wistful melancholy and profound love of music. The film's defining feature, and also its main flaw, is the inherent smallness of its story. The key key facts about the Emersons are revealed in the movie's first few minutes: two Washington farmboys poured their heart and finances into producing a privately pressed album in the late 70s, which decades later is rediscovered and championed by a boutique rock label.

We're treated to extensive flashbacks of the making of the album, but not much really happens from there in terms of plot. Casey Affleck and Noah Jupe give pitch-perfect performances as the adult and adolescent versions of Donnie. The support is excellent, with Beau Bridges disappearing into the role of a self-sacrificing father. Affleck and Bridges together are a delight to watch.

Much of the film's narrative conflict revolves around Donnie Emerson's difficulty accepting sudden vindication after decades of thwarted attempts to break into the music business. His bitterness and reticence to embrace his good fortune can be frustrating at times, but it does feel psychologically authentic. The sheer acting firepower given to these small conflicts can feel a bit overwrought.

The best part of the entire film is when we get to witness the adult, real-life Emersons play a small live gig. Donnie Emerson's voice has matured into a wonderfully soulful instrument, and their performance wraps up this small but tender tale very movingly. Here's to more forgotten artists like the Emersons getting their chance to shine!

Greetings again from the darkness. Very few actors are more proficient than Oscar winner Casy Affleck at taking on the role of a tortured soul and making us care. If you are one (like me) who wiled away many hours scouring LP bins at music stores, then you likely recall the "Dreamin' Wild" album from Donnie and Joe Emerson. It was a horrible album cover featuring the two young brothers in white jumpsuits. The self-produced album flopped, and writer-director Bill Pohlad has adapted the in-depth article penned by Steven Kurutz to dramatize the backstory, while filling in the real-life effects.

A vivid dream of success at an early age startles an older Donnie Emerson (Casey Affleck) awake. This is how Pohlad opens the film. Reality strikes as he once again realizes that recurring dream never came true, and now he runs a foundering recording studio and plays wedding gigs with his wife Nancy (Zooey Deschanel). Director Pohlad plays with timelines in an unconventional manner much as he did in his excellent Brian Wilson biopic LOVE & MERCY (2014). Noah Jupe and Jack Dylan Grazer play the young Donnie and Joe, respectively, while Walton Goggins plays grownup Joe, the less talented, though quite eager drumming brother.

This is a beautifully crafted film, though a bit unusual for a musician biopic. It's not so much a story of music as it is a glimpse at the psychology of a musician. On the family farm in rural Fruitvale, Washington, teenage Donnie writes and performs songs. His ever-optimistic and always supportive father (a terrific Beau Bridges) mortgages the farm to build the boys an onsite recording studio so that they can pursue music, while keeping up with farming chores. When nothing happens with the album, dad loses a big chunk of the farm, and everyone just moves on with life. Well, Donnie doesn't so much move on as brood about a shattered dream. Thirty plus years later, an independent record producer (Chris Messina) shows up and informs the brothers that their album has found a second life online and there is interest in a new pressing, as well as a special concert and even a tour.

It's at this point where we see just how deep the waters run for Donnie. He is reticent to allow himself to dream again ... despite encouraging his own kids to do so. He's a pensive man carrying the burden of guilt and shame as a son and failed artist. It takes courage to try again, although a tortured artist remains tortured regardless of any level of success. The second shot finds the dreamlike hit "Baby" front and center. It's an ethereal song perfectly suited to Donnie's temperament and a testament to his talent.

Director Pohlad brilliantly utilizes flashbacks throughout so that we understand what these folks have endured, and how differently they each react to the second shot at fame and respect. Often it takes a jolt in the present to permit us to come to terms with the unresolved feelings of the past, and we not only get to see Donnie make peace with his brother and father, but in a brilliant cinematic sequence, also with his younger self. Pohlad's film plays as a fitting tribute to Donnie Emerson, but also as inspiration to all the dreamers.

Releasing digital and On Demand beginning September 26, 2023.

With its toe-tapping music and sincere performances, Dreamin' Wild definitely entertained me and I believe will enrapture pop-rock fans as well as those who have never heard of Donnie and Joe Emerson. The film tells a true story with immense heart. It is shot elegantly and the story is fascinating; the at-times flat narration is the only chink in Dreamin Wild's armor.

Dreamin' Wild opens in the rural Pacific Northwest, as singer/songwriter Donnie Emerson (Casey Affleck) and his family, are approached by a representative from Light in the Attic, who says he thinks the album Donnie and his brother Joe (Walton Goggins) recorded as teenagers is the next big hit. When the album, also named Dreamin' Wild, makes its rounds, it is hailed by music critics as a lost masterpiece. And whereas the brothers see this stroke of luck as a second chance for stardom, it also unmoors other deep-seated emotions, fears, and hopes, as Donnie, Joe, and the family come to terms with the past, present and possible future.

The moving story is shot with clarity, care and craft; the lighting and framing do justice to the Emersons' bucolic hometown as well as their eclectic and ethereal 'jam space.' Casey Affleck has somewhat patented the 'damaged man exploring his trauma' trope, perhaps because of his real-life experience fending off his demons with alcoholism. That takes nothing away from his deep performance as Donnie in Dreamin' Wild. His portrayal of emotional damage and hope is enough to keep you gripped. Walton Goggins is equally spectacular. Every dialogue-heavy scene is followed by the brothers jamming, and then another dialogue-heavy scene; this format gets a little tiring by the 60-minute mark, but the plot developments and emotional performances redeem the film's at-times slow pace.

Dreamin' Wild encourages following your dreams but staying grounded, being hopeful but never forgetting where you've come from, and caring for your family and yourself.

I give Dreamin' Wild 4 out of 5 stars. By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST!

A gem of a story, reminiscent of a short story by Sherwood Anderson, Richard Ford, Eudora Welty, Raymond Carver, Jim Harrison, or the Irish writer Claire Keegan. There's a surface plainness and apparent accessibility, seemingly easily penetrable.

But small issues of moral choice build up, we see mature feelings wrestle with the idealism of youth.

Characters we thought we could easily understand become more complex. This focus on the seriousness of life goes to the heart of the matter: family loyalty, honor, compassion, forgiveness (and self-forgiveness). "Dreaming' Wild" has a fundamental directness that casts a profound, direct light on the austere interior of the Emerson family.

Its precision and pacing is writerly, it gives the viewer time to think.

Remarkable performances by Casey Affleck, Beau Bridges, Walton Goggins, Noah June, and Jack Dylan Grazer. And Chris Messina.

Casey is mesmerizing in this. No one else could play this part either. It's a beautiful, sweet and incredibly shot film. No one overacts, and so much is said without words too. Beau Bridges at his best. Walton and Zooey go deep too. There isn't one laugh, but you won't notice. It's heavy, deep, nostalgic, and reminds us what we do for love and faith in people, and the responsibility or guilt that comes with it. The music is great too. In a summer of big movies, this small movie shines brighter. Sure to become a cult classic and win awards. Loved every minute of it. I don't give tens, ever. This deserves my ten rating. Catch it in theatres this week, but it'll grow in popularity on stream for certain.