Rose is an undocumented Filipina teenager who lives with her mom at a small-town Texas motel and spends her days writing country songs and dreaming of stardom. When her mom is targeted and arrested in an immigration raid, Rose is left alone to deal with a world full of adult problems that she doesn’t quite understand. Her only solace is in the music that is bursting from inside her.
Tony-nominated Broadway performer Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), in her film debut, dazzles as Rose. She fills the screen with charm and innocent wonder, and she possesses a knockout voice that will captivate audiences. Equally impressive is the supporting cast including Broadway legend Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon), veteran Philippines actor Princess Punzalan and acclaimed country musician Dale Watson.
In her stirring feature film debut, veteran documentary filmmaker Diane Paragas has crafted an ambitious American country music fairy tale that is of our time yet timeless. And like many fairy tales where the danger and cruelty of the larger world is always close at hand, our heroine must rely on her extraordinary gift and a few helpful friends that she encounters on her journey in order to find her happy ending.
– AC