Wolf is a bold attempt at allegory that may be a bit heavy handed in what it's doing that I'm not sure entirely succeeds. There were a number of times I worried it was going off the rails or overstaying it's welcome. But in the end it it does manage to make its point and does so in a way that doesn't betray its subject.
Wolf is atmospheric and upsetting. It is the story of people who believe themselves to be different animal species who get committed to an institution to "cure" them. The techniques used are brutal and abusive. It is clearly using this idea as a way to critique our normative culture's predilection for hurting those who don't fall into whatever lines we have drawn. Sometimes the analogy pushes the line of being somewhat insulting and I worried it was going to err too far in this direction. But generally it works, drawing a very disturbing picture of any conversion therapy.
The film uses a heteronormative relationship at its centre to convey its critique, which I understand is necessary for this sort of take, a way of shoving the reality under the noses of the mainstream. But it also feels a bit like erasure. I'm not sure Wolf's allegory is perfect but I still found it effective. MacKay at the centre of this is quite strong and commits to his character in a way that makes it work. The film is brutal in its depiction of "treatment" and it needs to be. I appreciated it's unwavering nature.
The film ends with the line "it's not about surviving, it's about surviving as myself" and in that the film shows us it gets it.
Wolf
Starring: George MacKay, Lily Rose-Depp, Paddy Considine
Writer/Director: Nathalie Biancheri
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