Standing in her way is JOYCE, an enigmatic social worker, who's determined to find Margaret a safe placement before the night is over. At odds and forced to travel the city together, Margaret comes to realize that running isn’t her only option.
DANDELION is about discovering hope where there once was none. Finding home and learning to trust again after painful rejection by those closest to you. Regaining a sense of self-worth in order to accept love and feel part of a whole.
DANDELION is about MARGARET, who at the age of thirteen was surrendered to the state by her parents after they caught her kissing a girl. Since being put into the foster system, Margaret has been in survival mode. For the past four years, she’s been bounced around from religious group homes to neglectful foster families every few months and just wants out.
Our film begins in 1971 Los Angeles, with Margaret, now seventeen, running full speed away from a pack of angry nuns. Smart, queer, and forced to grow up way too fast - Margaret creates trouble just to have an opportunity to run away. After she is caught by the nuns, Margaret is kicked out yet again and clearly out of options.
Margaret is expecting her useless case worker to pick her up and the cycle to start all over again, but is thrown when JOYCE, a mysterious social worker, shows up instead - claiming to be able
to find a placement that will stick by the next morning. Joyce is Margaret’s worst nightmare. Joyce is determined, savvy, and can seemingly predict every move Margaret is going to make before she makes it. Margaret is pushed to new lengths to get the freedom she so desperately craves. With their goals firmly at odds, the two take off on a mission unlikely to succeed.
The bulk of DANDELION occurs throughout this one-night quest to find Margaret a safe, stable, temporary home. As we are firmly in Margaret’s point of view, the audience doesn’t know who Joyce is or what her intentions are. She’s awkward, a little cold, and Margaret has no clue why she’s even helping her. With each stop leading to a rejection, we feel Margaret’s desire to run and Joyce’s frustration grow.
After tensions come to a head at a disastrous final visit, Joyce is prepared to give up. She is forced to take Margaret back to her house and wait out the remaining hours until she can return her to the system. When they finally arrive and Margaret comes to realize Joyce isn’t who she thought she was, she’s left with a choice she never thought she’d have.
Margaret Doyle:
Margaret is a fighter. She had to be in order to survive. After being abandoned by her parents at the vulnerable age of 13, she was forced into a system that constantly told her she was wrong. Difficult. Other. Unable to ever trust the people put in charge of her well being, Margaret truly believes that she would be better off if everyone just left her alone. This belief causes her to lash out in acts of rebellion and words that will cut you to the bone.
With a razor sharp wit, Margaret is too smart for her own good and refuses to give up. In her mind, there’s always a chance she can get away - even if she’s failed a million times before. If pushed into a corner, Margaret will bite in order to stop anyone from getting too close. If they really see her, Margaret’s afraid they’ll find the part of her she’s been trying so hard to cover up - a girl who desperately wants a place to belong.
Joyce Harris:
Joyce used to be Margaret. Young, reckless, and too hurt to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. After some rough years, Joyce was lucky enough to come out on the other side and now dedicates her life to helping queer kids who are stuck. Nurturing doesn’t come naturally to Joyce, but she’s happy to be the middleman between a lost kid and a safe home. She’s certain that she could never actually raise a kid herself, but she can find people who can.
Maybe that’s enough to feel like she’s making a difference while still protecting herself from the vulnerability of wanting things she’ll never have. Joyce comes across as conservative and uptight because she understands it’s best to play by society's rules in order to be able to have a little freedom. It’s the small rebellions that count and at her core Joyce is still a rebel.
© 2024 Dandelion film