DANDELION / narrative feature · dir. NICOLE RIEGEL · IFC Films

world premiere SXSW 2024

NEW YORK TIMES · VARIETY · HOLLYWOOD REPORTER · ROGER EBERT · INDIEWIRE · SCREENDAILY

NEW YORK TIMES: “(The characters’) time together — nature walks, motorcycle rides, cuddling — really does feel like time they spend together, rather than some perfectly staged romantic vision. Moments between them can be warm, silent, awkward or serene. Riegel and the cinematographer, Lauren Guiteras, use the camera like a vessel for Dandelion’s sense memories.”

VARIETY: “Enamored with the textures of the area’s rocky formations and how the warm autumnal sunlight falls on its ochre-colored landscapes, cinematographer Lauren Guiteras crafts ethereal, sun-kissed frames. One striking sequence captures Dandelion in stark silhouette. There’s a sensuous quality to the hues that grace the terrain and how they interact with the lovers.”

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: “Dandelion is at its strongest when the helmer lets the movie’s visual language and its music cast their spell. Whether in soul-searching close-ups, nighttime views of the Ohio River or vistas of the South Dakota badlands, the dynamic camerawork of Lauren Guiteras speaks volumes.”

SCREENDAILY: “(The leads’ chemistry is) given greater potency by Riegel and her DoP Lauren Guiteras’ love of mixing lenses for arrestingly intimate compositions, and closing in on the faces of their simmering stars. Dandelion is… a visually beautiful, delicately composed film.”

ROGEREBERT.COM: “Riegel’s approach is organic and grounded, focusing with cinematographer Lauren Guiteras on Dandelion and Casey’s hands, arms, and expressive faces as they create… It’s a raw, sweaty, human film with a stronger visual language than nearly anything else I saw at SXSW.”