Bel Powley impresses in this horror-fantasy feature from Shout! Factory
A coming of age tale with a horror twist. It’s nothing new, but when done right it can often represent a high-point for both genres. Wildling looks to go where The Woman, Thelma, and Ginger Snaps have gone before, successfully blending both these elements with a memorable aesthetic and a standout performance from the cast, notably Bel Powley as Anna, the titular wilding.
Synopsis:
A teenage girl’s coming-of-age arrives with a terrifying twist in this spellbinding take on the werewolf legend. Since birth, Anna (Bel Powley) has been raised in isolation by a man she knows only as Daddy (Brad Dourif, Child’s Play). He has done everything possible to conceal the truth about her origins from her. But when the teenage Anna is suddenly thrust into the real world under the protection of no-nonsense police officer Ellen (Liv Tyler, The Strangers), it soon becomes clear that she is far from ordinary. Unable to adjust to a normal life, Anna finds herself drawn instead to the wild freedom of the forest while struggling to resist the growing bloodlust that has awakened inside her. This moodily atmospheric thriller combines supernatural scares with a myth-like tale of self-discovery.
The tale is somewhat familiar: a child raised in solitude, with scary tales from her father (Brad Douriff) about the “wildlings” outside keeping her inside a shack in the woods as much as the bars on the windows. She’s subjected to these warnings, as well as injections, until the day when a tragedy results in her being set free and duly taken into the care of local Sheriff Ellen Cooper (Tyler) and her brother Ray (Kelly-Sordelet). She soon finds herself having to contend with a host of social problems she was never prepared for, not just with her temporary guardians, but in interactions with kids her own age at the local school. As if all this wasn’t enough to deal with, it soon becomes apparent that her father’s treatments kept at bay certain animalistic tendencies.
The film smartly juxtaposes this emergence of the creature within with her transformation from a hapless young girl to a woman. Adolescence is as horrific as anything a genre movie can whip up. Figuring out friendships, social graces, and sexual yearnings from overactive hormones fuel Anna’s problems with adapting from such a controlled environment, sheltered by her father. It’s an interesting angle for director Fritz Böhm, who co-wrote the film with Florian Eder, to take — a father whose protective nature actually ends up repressing the freedom of his daughter, sheltering her from the truth as well as the outside world. In contrast, Ellen Cooper (Tyler) seeks to open up Anna, in terms of experiences and knowledge. This imbues the film with a strong feminist core about empowerment and enlightenment, themes that jive well with the well-executed horror aspect. A healthy amount of tension, jump scares, and effective special effects are deployed to satiate the horror crowd.
Genre fans will instantly recognize Brad Douriff as Anna’s father, who does very fine work, conveying the conflict, loss, love, and fear the role demands. The contrast to him is provided by Liv Tyler, who also treads a very fine line between empathetic and caring and maintaining her authoritative role. The standout though is Bel Powley, who imbues Anna with an unearthly innocence. It’s deft work that extends to the physicality of her performance too. Credit must also go to the casting people who did fine work recruiting Arlo Mertz and Aviva Winick, who, in addition to Powley, play Anna at different ages. Their work and the similarities really help connect you to her progression. Despite this solid setup and talented cast, the film does stumble somewhat in the final act, relying on more conventional turns to wrap things up. While the horror aspects ramp up, the more interesting components of the story seem to fall by the wayside. But overall, it’s a strong take on a familiar tale.
The Package
The film is starkly beautiful at times, imbued with an ethereal quality that likens it even moreso to a fairy tale, thanks to cinematography by Toby Oliver (Get Out, Happy Death Day). Thankfully the transfer here is very nicely done. A lot of details could be lost in the dark, but good definition, contrast, and well realized black levels show off plenty of the films visual attributes. Special features are sadly a little lacking:
· Deleted scenes: No commentary about their removal, but their excision make sense, offering little to the film as a whole.
· Outtakes: Glimpse at a practical effect setup and a few improv/lines gone wrong scenes.
· Theatrical trailer
The Bottom Line
While tackling familiar genre/drama fare, Wildling stands out from the pack thanks to skillful direction from Böhm and some impressive performances, most notably from Douriff and Powley. Horror elements are balanced with a genuinely good coming of age tale, and while it falters a little in its finish, it is very much worth checking out.
Wildling is available via Shout! Factory from August 7th, 2018.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.