He has the Howl of a WOLF

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Nathalie Biancheri and Focus Features is the story of the struggle being yourself, even if yourself is a WOLF.

Jacob (George MacKay) is a young man with species dysphoria, an illness that human beings have when they believe they are an animal trapped in a human body. Jacob believes he is a wolf, so his distraught mother and father take him to a clinic to get help.

Immediately Jacob comes into contact with others like him. Young people who are birds, horses, dogs and cats being treated by The Zookeeper (Paddy Considine) to help them shed their animalisms. Convincing parents this is the place for their children, what the parents do not know is the methods The Zookeeper uses.

Jacob tries to keep his wolf side at bay but by night, he tries to find a way outside to let out what is screaming inside him. He meets Wildcat (Lily-Rose Depp), a young woman who has been at the clinic for some time with her cat side. The two become friends as they explore ways to be themselves without watchful eyes and Wildcat just happens to have a few keys.

They both watch other kids around them go through the fear of the clinic and when Jacob is caught, he lets out what is inside him. The Zookeeper knows just what to do when that happens. Now locked up, he must rely on help from Wildcat if he is ever to find his way into the world and live as he wishes to.

MacKay as Jacob was perfectly cast for not only his ability to show very little emotion to things happening around him but the physical stealth when allowing the wolf side to show. From the painful vocals of an animal trapped to the anger as well, MacKay’s portrayal of his character may be docile on the outside, but it is what is inside they should stay away from. The anger is not based on anything other than mistreatment of others and wrongs by human beings.

Depp as Wildcat is equally as physically stealthy, and she sees something in Jacob that touches him. Although she is in somewhat the same boat as Jacob, there is something more about her character that I wish had been explored more. There are hints at it, but it is never brought out clearly. Depp as Wildcat gives her performance dark side a chance to come to the light.

Considine as The Zookeeper is a man on a mission to cure what “ails” the kid, but the problem is he is horrible at it. I do not know where he got his training because it is clear he is more concerned with being cruel than curing. Coming face to face with some of the kids, he uses the verbal beat down to get their attention, but Jacob only bends and refuses to break.

Other cast includes Lola Petticrew as Parrott, Terry Notary as Lion Man, Fionn O’Shea as German Shepherd, Senan Jennings as Duck, Helen Behan as Jacob’s Mom, Karise Yansen as Annalisa, Amy Macken as Ola, Darragh Shannon as Jeremy, Mary Lou McCarthy as Shepherd’s Mom, Collen Keogh as The Zookeepers Assistant, Elsa Fionuir as Horse and Leo Hanna as Almost Out.

Focus Features’ mission is to make a lasting impact on global audiences by creating the home for artists to share diverse, distinctive stories that inspire human connection. Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies that brings entertainment and news to a global audience. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.focusfeatures.com.

The film reminds me a bit of the 1982 film CAT PEOPLE, which is high on my list of strange, unusual and I would see again and again type films. There is the ‘cat like’ movements in the film that are visually stunning, and WOLF has the same affect bringing the viewer in with brilliant moves.

WOLF can be understood on a few different levels. First, it is about these kids who are different than others but instead of understanding them, their parents choose to be mortified and want to hide them. Believing it is something ‘curable’, they entrust their child to a clinic and walk away.

Second, it could be seen as a double bit of cruelty to humans and ‘animals’. The Zookeeper will do anything to get results which includes treating the kids in ways that make him more of an animal than the kids/animals. Finally, it is a story about kids who just want to be accepted by the adults who are supposed to love them unconditionally. Their differences are not worthy of what is happening to them.

All that being said, I truly wish the story had been explored more. The Jacob and the other kid/animals have such a deep story to tell, and the film just lays on the surface instead of going to the depths that would have made the film even more intense. Jacob shows us a bit of what it is like to be him, and I thought to myself that there was so much more to explore about his emotional and physical process.

WOLF is a film filled with so many different directions but the main one is that these kids believed in who they are even if no one else does. That is a powerful statement and one that has become so in recent years.

In the end – they want too just be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pack Could Never Know the Tenacity of a GREYHOUND

Jeri Jacquin

Currently screening on AppleTV+ from director Aaron Schneider and writer Tom Hanks based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester is the story of men running like a GREYHOUND.

US Navy Commander Krause (Tom Hanks) has been assigned to the USS Keeling to be a part of an escort group that are to defend merchant ships crossing the Atlantic. This 37-country multi-national group is defending against German submarines at the beginning of World War II.

Given the codename Greyhound, along with the HMS James – Harry, Polish destroyer Viktor – Eagle and Canadian HMCS Doge – Dickie are about to enter a part of the sea known as the Black Pit and must go it alone without air support for three days. It does not take long before the German U-boats make themselves known.

That is when Commander Krause begins his assault to protect the other ships and once the firing begins, it does not stop. The ‘wolfpack’ is waiting for the cover of night to begin their attacks again. Taunted by the German submarines, the crew keeps to their jobs and tries to help the ships that are hit by taking their share of submarines with depth charges.

Getting closer to the reacquisition of air support, Commander Krause has a decision to make. The submarines are beginning an all-out attack while Commander and crew do everything it takes to stay alive and support the boats that are still afloat. It is a fight that only one can win!

Hanks as Commander Krause does what this actor has always done, put everything into a performance bringing tension and a bit of fear into this character. In GREYHOUND we also see a character that follows his beliefs and is a stern Commander but also a fair one. I would expect nothing less from Hanks. He has always brought such amazing stories to the screen and finds characters that are exceptional in their beliefs and extraordinary in what they accomplish with the support of a crew.

This is seen time and time again from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN to SULLY, Hanks plays opposite those who trust and believe in the lead character. There are also moments where the flaws of his character show, yet it does not deter them from doing what is right for others in the more dire of circumstances. Those are the story I definetly want to see and experience.

Stephen Graham as Lt. Cole supports his Commander and might hesitate for a moment when given an order but sees it through and understandings why Krause is the Commander. Rob Morgan as Mess 2^nd Class George Cleveland is absolutely lovely, and he deserves a shout out for it.

Also, Elisabeth Shue as Evelyn, Commander Krause’s love who may have had a small role, but it is one that shows the worry of women watching men go off to do a dangerous job in a dangerous time.

Other cast include Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Lopez, Karl Glusman as Eppstein, Tom Brittney as Lt. Watson, Matt Helm as Lt. Nystrom, Craig Tate as Pitts, Devin Druid as Wallace, Travis Quentin as Ipsen, Jeff Burkes as Shannon, Matthew Zuk as Flusser, Joseph Poliquin as Helmsman Lee, Michael Benz as Carling, Jake Ventimiglia as Flipper and Chet Hanks as Bushnell.

AppleTV+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019. Viewable through Apple’s TV app, CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

The novel The Good Shepherd written by C.S. Forester is a story that shares the struggles of the era with war at sea. More than that it shares the story of a battle group and what was required of them to fight a taunting enemy. This would not be his only story of war responsible for the series of Horatio Hornblower and the novel African Queen which was also made into a film in 1951 with Humphrey Bogart and many more.

GREYHOUND gives us a moment to prepare for all the action that comes after the opening scene with Hanks and Shue. The moment Commander Krause steps aboard his ship it is a whirlwind of strategic decisions and knowing each one of those decisions can cost lives. Even when Hanks’ character questions himself quietly (and you can see it on his face), when the moment calls for it – the answer is as swift as the U-boat chasing them.

Although unfortunate not to have seen it on the big screen, I would not have missed it on a smaller one for the world. This is just what the quarantine ordered for entertainment that brings suspense, drama, intrigue and heroism that takes us all away from the moment we are living in. That is what entertainment is supposed to do – sweep up away and experience something that is impactful, and GREYHOUND does just that.

In the end – the only thing more dangerous than the front lines is the fight to get there!