Here is the premise: A beautiful and talented yet troubled orphan must battle her demons of alcoholism and self-destruction when she has a chance at being an international singing star.
Kim Whalen shines as Winter Rose, a girl who has talent in spades but a hard heart and a penchant for drinking to forget all of her troubles. Whalen shares the screen with veteran actors Billy Zane, Theresa Russell, and Paul Sorvino; and she proves she has what it takes to be a star. I enjoyed most everything about A WINTER ROSE, kind of reminiscent of THE ROSE with Bette Midler; but a bit milder. Riz Story, who wrote and directed the movie; as well as wrote the songs used, does a decent job conveying to the audience the balance of pain and talent the prodigy has and one can’t help but wonder if this may be a bit of an autobiography. I loved Theresa Russell as the famous songstress who sees a bit of herself in Winter Rose. My only issue was the editing, it was a bit choppy at times, and kind of of took me out of the story a couple of times; but it did not ruin the movie at all. I recommend seeing A WINTER ROSE, overall it is an inspiring film that teaches us we can overcome just about anything in life.
Russell Lockhart
