Wildflower was released in the theaters this year, but since its streaming began it’s found new life. It has inspired viewers to dig deeper into the real story behind the movie.
Now streaming on Hulu in the US, Wildflower brings to life an emotional and personal story that hits incredibly close to home for the film’s director, Mike Smulker.
Wildflower plot review
Wildflower is a story of Bea – a short form of Bambi – who’s the daughter of Derek (of Mad Men) and Sharon, two neurodivergents.
Bea is left comatose after an accident during her senior year of high school. She must now explore her past through flashbacks.
Bea shares her everyday struggles with juggling her ambitions to go to college, find a boyfriend and care for her mentally disabled parents.
Wildflower became available to US audiences on Hulu, in June 2023. It was first released as a film in March.
Wildflower is based on an actual story.
Wildflower was indeed inspired by a true-life story.
Christina Stahl is the niece and Wildflower director Matt Smulker’s inspiration for the events in the film.
Much like Bea’s experiences in the film, Christina’s teenage years were spent having to care for her neurodivergent parents, along with the hardships and gleeful moments that came with such a commitment.
Wildflower started out as a film.
Wildflower began as a film short that Christina Stahl made to be used in her college applications.
Matt Smulker, who was her uncle, helped with the project. After seeing the trials and triumphs that the family experienced, he thought the material would make a great inspirational story.
This fuelled Smulker to direct a feature-length documentary, meant as a companion to Christina’s original short film, which was released in 2020.
After showing some of the footage to Jana Savage (a screenwriting buddy), the idea was born for a feature-length film.
You can now stream Wildflower via Hulu The US