Summer 1935, a town in the south of the United States. Rose, an unhappy yet carefree girl, arrives in shabby clothes with a cardboard box at the eccentric Hillyer family, where she is to work as a maid-servant. The first person she meets is the precocious 13-year-old son Buddy. Buddy is about to discover the more adult mysteries of life and reacts at first with reserve to her arrival, but introduces her to the rest of the family: Waski and Doll the little ones, his courteous father and intelligent mother. The ill-bred and unconventional behaviour of Rose soon causes agitation in the very conservative hamlet. But she is supported by the mother, who defends her against the short-sighted locals.It took Martha Coolidge five years to film her heart-warming tale. Her perseverance has resulted in a film which juxtaposes sad with comic in a very special way. Much of the film’s emotional strength is due to the excellent acting by Robert Duvall (as Daddy), Laura Dern (as Rose) and Diane Ladd (as Mother). Helga Stephenson (Toronto Film Festival): ‘Rambling Rose is also another successful showcase for the remarkable mother-daughter team Diane Ladd and Laura Dern’.
