TIFF Review: ‘Wolf’
Wolf is a powerful, moving if slightly uneven film that features one of the best performances of the year courtesy of George MacKay.
When Nathalie Biancheri’s sophomore film, Wolf, which centers on a man who believes he us a wolf, was first announced, it was met with confusion from people dumbfounded by its seemingly outlandish plot, jeers from people who found it oddly similar to a vine that went viral a few years back, and optimistic enthusiasm from people who saw Biancheri’s first feature, the haunting, subversive and heart-wrenching Nocturnal, which screened at the London Film Festival back in 2019.
Marking Biancheri’s return to the festival circuit, Wolf, which just had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, stars George MacKay as Jacob, a young man who is admitted into a clinic that specializes in “species dysphoria”, a condition in which a person feels that their body is of the wrong species. Jacob, who believes he is a wolf trapped inside a human’s body, is forced to confront his true nature at “The Zoo” (a nickname given to the clinic by its patients), where he finds himself falling under the charms of Cecile, another patient who suffers from species dysphoria, expertly played by Lily-Rose Depp.
A significant element as to why Wolf works so well is the commitment of everyone involved to the project and how seriously they approach its subject matter. The plot of the film could have easily been played for laughs but Biancheri and her cast, which also includes Fionn O’Shea, Karise Yansen and Paddy Considine, handle it with care and sensitivity, displaying a sense of understanding and empathy for the characters at its center. Each and every one of the film’s cast members tackle their complex characters fearlessly and tactfully, turning in unforgettable performances that ensure audiences will also be able to empathize with these characters even if they can’t relate to their predicaments.
George MacKay, who has been quietly building a filmography full of solid performances throughout the past decade but is mostly known for his phenomenal leading turn in Sam Mendes’ 1917, is astonishing as Jacob, delivering an incredible performance that firmly anchors the film against its offbeat plot. Not only does he manage to capture the physicality of an actual wolf, he also manages to imbue the character with a sense of disquieting fury and intense discomfort, turning in one of the best performances of the year. It is a bold, fearless and magical performance, one that needs to be seen to be believed.
Lily-Rose Depp is a revelation in the film, turning in an intense, charming and sensitive performance as the charismatic Cecile who has much more to her than audiences are first led to believe. Paddy Considine, on the other hand, cuts an intimidating figure as the villainous Dr. Mann, the “Zookeeper” who oversees the Zoo’s patients, bringing some much needed flare and intensity to the film. The film becomes harder and harder to watch as Dr. Mann terrorizes each of his patients throughout the course of the film, and Considine manages to turn in a terrifying, disturbing and most importantly grounded performance, avoiding the cartoonish route that other actors may have taken in the role.
Featuring gorgeous cinematography courtesy of Michal Dymek and a haunting, intriguing score by Polish composer Stefan Wesołowski, Wolf is a powerful, moving film about what it feels like to be trapped in the wrong body – a predicament that many can relate to throughout the world – as well as the dangers of medical malpractice, and the human cruelty that can result from othering. While Wolf does suffer from an uneven and somewhat anticlimactic third act, limping rather than hurtling towards a slightly rushed ending, Biancheri has managed to make an overall effective drama, one that is elevated by incredible performances from George MacKay, Lily-Rose Depp and Paddy Considine.
Rating 4/5
Wolf premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 2021.