Paragas’ film finds fresh ground to explore the price and the power of the American dream, bolstered by country crooning and heartbreaking (and very real) legal worries. It’s a concept that might sound played out, but deft directing and a number of strong performances recommend it, a down-home answer to the similarly charming 2018 drama “Wild Rose.”

Yellow Rose sings an affecting, sorrowful and defiant song where dreams collide with a cruel reality.

Yellow Rose may not be a success on the whole, but it does suggest that Paragas, like her protagonist, is still finding her way.

Lawrence Garcia

The A.V. Club