I Watched Her Grow

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Taylor Freeman as Wren
• Michelle Colman Padron as Ada
• Eloisa Cardona as Mirren
• Aarti Tiwari as Inez

Storyline:

The film is about Ada, a spirited, seventeen-year-old teenager who dreams of becoming a botanist to help out her single mother, Mirren. For the pair, it truly feels like it’s them against the world, especially because Ada’s mother has one, huge secret: she is half-plant and half-human and has the ability to grow a garden from her skeleton. However, Mirren undergoes daily, debilitating chronic pain that prevents her from leaving the house, which Ada tries her best to help her mother through. One day, Mirren suddenly dies, and Ada’s life becomes completely undone. Now alone, the once bubbly, outgoing teenager slowly grows into a jaded, bitter adult that isolates herself from the world.

Seven years later, while on her way home from work, the now-twenty-four-year-old Ada hears an all-too-familiar melody. Following the song to a nearby creek, she finds Wren, a teenage runaway who loves flowers and magical stories, but holds a deep distrust for others due to her enigmatic past. Realizing the young girl doesn’t have a place to stay, Ada offers to take her in, to which Wren reluctantly agrees. Eventually, the two form an unexpected bond, and before they both know it, Wren and Ada embark on a harrowing journey to reckon with their respective pasts, slowly revealing their secrets to each other, and realize that they may not have to face their uncertain futures alone.

About Movie:

I Watched Her Grow is an independent sci-fi drama film written, directed, and co-edited by Shea Formanes in her feature film debut. The film stars Michelle Colman Padron, Taylor Freeman, Eloisa Cardona, and Aarti Tiwari.

The film premiered at Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival on September 12, 2024.