Wildflower (2023) is a dramedy film about Bambi Johnson, the daughter of mentally challenged parents who perseveres through a considerably difficult upbringing. The film is streaming on Hulu.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary:
Bea is rushed to the hospital after falling into a coma and she is visited by her chaotic family. She decides to go back to the beginning of her story to explain how she ended up there.
Sharon was a 21-year-old woman whose brain hadn’t completely developed while Derek had a traumatic brain injury when he was 12 that stunted his mental and emotional growth.
They fall in love with each other and eventually have a child named Bambi after Sharon’s favorite cartoon character. In the beginning, Sharon’s parents, Peg and Earl, help take care of Bea.
Earl doesn’t want to take care of yet another child and Derek wants to move closer to his mother, Loretta, in Las Vegas. Derek and Sharon move to Nevada and initially live in a van before eventually buying a house.
At the hospital, a social worker named Mary shows up to find out how Bea ended up in a coma and she begins talking to all of her family members.
Bea’s childhood was quite joyful and fun as Sharon and Derek did their best to provide for her. However, at the age of 10, her parents began dumping more responsibility on her and Derek even taught her how to drive.
He promised her anything she wanted if she learned how to drive and Bea eventually gets a dog she names Godzilla. One day, Sharon leaves the door open and Godzilla runs out so Bea decides to use the truck to go after him.
She crashes it and that’s the first time she met Mary. She tells the social worker that she doesn’t want to keep Godzilla because she cannot take care of him and her parents at the same time.
After this incident, Bea’s aunt and uncle, Joy and Ben decide that maybe it would be good if she spent some time with them. They soon realize that Bea needs some serious parental guidance so they take a more active role in her life.
Bea begins going to private school where she becomes best friends with Nia and eventually begins dating Ethan, the new kid. Ethan is a cancer survivor and the son of rich parents.
Bea does really well in school but she is constantly having to worry about her parents and whether they can take care of themselves. Her counselor, Mr. Vasquez, keeps pushing her to apply for college but she is hesitant about it.
She begins spending more time with Ethan and agrees to go to prom but this puts a strain on her friendship with Nia. While she’s outside, her parents get arrested for a misunderstanding and Bea has to bail them out with money that she saved up.
This builds up resentment in her and she says some harsh words to her parents when they get back. She tells Mr. Vasquez that she isn’t going to a fancy college because he parents cannot survive without her.
Wildflower (2023) ending explained in detail:
What happens between Bea and Ethan?
After talking to Mr. Vasquez, Bea takes Ethan home after deciding to ditch classes. She tells him that she isn’t going to college because she has to take care of her parents.
He tells her that she has convinced herself that they cannot manage without her even though they managed just fine when she was a baby and would probably be fine if she went to college.
Bea doesn’t agree and even brings up the fact that she might need to take care of him if his cancer ever came back. He takes offense to this and walks out of her place, breaking up with her.
How does Bea end up in the coma?
Bea doesn’t feel too good after her conversation with Ethan so she goes to Nia’s place and makes peace with her. She asks her if they could go somewhere and hang out but Nia says that she is now going to prom.
Bea helps her get ready and then goes back home. She feels extremely lonely and ends up drinking a bottle of whiskey before going out on the streets where she runs into her classmate’s older brother.
He’s in college and he tries to take advantage of her intoxicated state but she realizes that she shouldn’t be there. She tries to push back as he’s urging her to get back in the car but she slips and falls down, hitting the back of her head.
The boys panic and drop her outside the hospital before rushing out.
What happens to Bea?
Bea eventually wakes up and tells her parents that she loves them as well as the rest of her family. When Mary leaves after conducting her review, Bea asks her if her family was the craziest she’s ever seen to which Mary replies they aren’t.
Bea makes up with Ethan and is eventually discharged from the hospital. She gradually recovers during her final year of high school and graduates with Nia and the rest of her class.
Her entire family is there for the graduation and Bea gets ready for a new chapter as she got into UCLA after finally applying. She is currently in her junior year of college while Sharon and Derek live a happy life as empty nesters.
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