Nicole Riegel knows that when you’re from Appalachia, the region can have a hold on you. She explored that in her first film, “Holler,” and as her second film, “Dandelion,” is just out, she is looking at that again, this time through the lens of a musician.
In “Dandelion,” a young woman who goes by Dandelion decides to leave her home in Ohio to see if she can make a name for herself somewhere else. She goes to South Dakota for a motorcycle rally and while there, meets Casey, another musician. They have a musical and romantic affair, but she never loses her connection to her home.
Riegel spoke with The Dominion Post about her work on this movie.
“I wanted to make a film that was about my experience as a filmmaker, told through the lens of a musician. And really about, at the time, just not feeling very visible as an artist. It’s also about how I dealt with all the uncertainty and ups and downs of being a filmmaker, and it was really through staying focused on the process. I think it’s letting the result go and staying in the making of the thing you love.”
Riegel recognizes that in a world dominated by social media, the need for followers and metrics can get in the way of actually creating art, and she wanted to address that directly in the film.
“I think when we meet Dandelion, everywhere she looks, she’s seeing women who are sexy when they’re with their instruments. That’s what’s popular and gets all the likes. And it’s like, no, that has nothing to do with your skill as a musician.”
Riegel tries not to be bound by follows and likes in her work.
“I try not to let that seep into my creative process. But when we meet her, it’s everywhere she looks. Everyone’s having a meteoric rise but her. And then she meets Casey and her music improves, and she takes on a bit of his sound. But then, a third sound, her authentic sound, is really born from all those experiences. She just really needed to go out and live some life.”
Music is a huge part of the film, and while Riegel is a fan, she is not a musician, so finding someone to work with for the film was important to her. She collaborated with Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National to create the music.
“I told Aaron and Bryce, ‘I’m not a musician or aspiring musician. I love music. I love guitar. I love songwriting. But I don’t aspire to do anything with it. I’m a filmmaker.’ But Aaron and Bryce brought me into the songwriting
process narratively. I worked out lyrics saying, ‘Here’s how the song should feel,’ and gave emotional direction for the music. The songs did need very specific lyrics to protect the whole of the film, or else it would all fall apart.”
Over time, she found herself writing more and more of the music.
“I would send what was necessary to Aaron. I’d text it to him and Bryce, and they would come back and edit it, then I’d edit it, and it just came very naturally. And then one day, they just said to me, ‘you know, we think you’re going to end up writing a lot of this music with us.’ And I was like, ‘No, that’s not what I do.’
“But I embraced it, and I learned a lot about music from them. I learned a lot about all the parts of a song and how a song is made on a very professional level. And I’m really indebted to those guys. They’re two of my favorite musicians in the world. So how often do you get to make music with your favorite musicians in the world? It’s a dream come true.”
“Dandelion” is now in select theaters.
Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
