Wild Roses, addresses some of the wider themes of humanity, in all its sordidness as well as its sympathy and compassion.

The story follows the adolescent friendship of Joshua Haigh and Clarence Clarbourne, growing up in a small town in Oregon. This friendship is marked by an asymmetrical devotion, bordering on a sado-masochistic bond: Joshua lives in the shadow of Clarence and adores him, while Clarence is sustained by a dominance that, at times, descends into disdain. The two find wives and go their separate ways, until Clarence contacts his old friend, offering him a job as a journalist. Here the relationship continues as before, only now, fuelled by inner tumult and alcoholism, Clarences’s controlling nature takes a psychotic turn. After one incident, Joshua commits the unthinkable: in self-defence he kills his best friend.

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