KiKi Layne blossoms in tender film

Thomas Doherty’s Casey and KiKi Layne’s Dandelion form a musical and personal bond in “Dandelion.” (Courtesy of IFC Films)

Anyone who has tried to make their art – their greatest passion – their career will probably be able to identify with aspects of “Dandelion.”

While the title character of the largely charming and effective film is a young black woman who wants to succeed as a singer and songwriter, the film is primarily inspired by the experiences of screenwriter and director Nicole Riegel, who also wanted to succeed as a filmmaker.

She is most interested in what it is like to be a frustrated artist. Riegel says in her directorial statement: “I wanted to share what it feels like to go through my artistic process in a world that quietly tells me every day that my voice doesn’t matter. In a world and industry of male hero worship, men are mentors. Women are their muses. Men with strong visions are fickle writers. Women with strong visions are persistent nightmares. Men pick up guitars and movie cameras. Women inspire and are filmed.”

While Reigel is from the small town of Jackson in southern Ohio and graduated from Wright State near Dayton, Dandelion (KiKi Layne) lives in Cincinnati, where she earns a few bucks playing in a hotel bar three nights a week. She brings an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar and plays originals and covers like the Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy” to a small, ever-changing crowd that doesn’t seem to care. She tries to hide how daunting it all is, but her eyes tell the story.

Her scrolling through social media feeds makes her even sadder as fellow musicians are more successful than her and receive countless likes and loves on a daily basis. Dandelion has had to make sacrifices to care for her mother Jean (Melanie Nicholls-King), who lives with a lung disease that incurs high costs.