![]() There are scenes in "Wolf" in which the antagonist forces the teens to recognize their humanity, making them aware of their inability to carry out activities their animal counterpart naturally could. Late in the tale, he asserts his leadership position like a lion in a jungle would, hinting at his own savage inclinations. ![]() An inexplicably villainous "zookeeper" ( Paddy Considine), ruler of this domain of brutality, repeats phrases alluding to that internalized grandeur, begging us to realize what he claims is wrong. The most overt concern in Biancheri’s “Wolf” is mankind’s certainty of its superiority over all leaving creatures. Since the film strives to draw parallels connecting this fiction to oppressive conventions applicable to issues closer to our common reality, considering modern human’s carnivore tendencies in relation to these adolescents seems like an obvious entry point into speciesism. Instead only pets, wild creatures, and a horse comprise the main cast. No cows, chickens, or pigs are among them. As Wolf and Wildcat gnaw at each other with playful aggressiveness, the fluid shots emulate the spontaneity of their movement, changing in speed and closeness.Ĭonveniently, none of the creatures these kids choose to mimic are farm animals raised for human consumption. It’s in his romance with Wildcat, played proficiently by Depp as someone blatantly pretending to suffer from the same ills as the others to belong, that Michal Dymek’s cinematography is the most in sync with the content. He is almost perpetually stoic. Jacob puts honest effort into trying to change for the sake of his bipedal family, but as the torment increases the less he can contain his truth-one he recalls feeling from an early age. MacKay stares at his companions in pain with a conflicted gaze, half compassion and half pity. MacKay’s unmannered raw turn perseveres in holding our tested attention amid the mostly haphazard plot. As they howl together, a fleeting sense of recognition is sparked. And when finally in front of a real wolf, he seems at ease. ![]() Utterly committed to the part, MacKay is the film’s most absorbing asset his feral physicality convinces us that Jacob harbors zero doubt about his most fulfilling state. The ensemble’s devotion to the animal conducts and sounds, to the detriment of their characters’ mental health in this brutal environment, elicits in one a decidedly uncomfortable reaction. Still, as it stands, there’s notable value in her direction of a cast that goes along with the quasi-bizarre premise without falling into caricature. ![]() A premise like this would have been more effective had it been executed with the acidity of someone like director Yorgos Lanthimos, in which the premise could unfold as satirical commentary rather than straightforward indignation. Their desperation has a deep sadness.īut for as much writer/director Biancheri pumps copious ideas into this concept, the solemn tone and lack of thematic focus renders the overwrought outing underwhelming. Despite what it entails, the setup is never played for laughs, but the opposite. Some of them have a hard time adjusting, and get “prop privileges” to wear costumes that bring them closer to their desired form. Jacob steps into a pack of fellow patients and meets among several others, Rufus ( Fionn O'Shea), who thinks of himself as a lovable German Shepherd, and love interest Wildcat ( Lily-Rose Depp), a long house-trained resident under the thumb of a key staff member. ![]()
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