A powerful but quiet movie directed by Paul Dano and based on a novel of the same name by Richard Ford. It stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as a couple who move to a new town with their only child during the 1960s. Their relationship transforms after Gyllenhaal’s character loses his job as a butler and chooses to leave for a more dangerous profession, firefighting. This movie is about his wife’s response to this event and the implications of both parents’ behavior on their kid. There are no twists or turns, exciting action or plot; but Wildlife doesn’t need any of that. This moving story about a decaying family unit is portrayed in the sadness that comes with such events. The only joy comes from watching the outstanding (but expected) performances of the cast.
"Dano doesn't appear in his own movie, but its texture is of a piece with his courteous and careful performances, where he always seems to plead fruitlessly with an unjust world."
— Anthony Lane
"A slow burn, but when it catches light, it's a wildfire."
— Hannah Strong
14-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry — a housewife and a golf pro — in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job (and his sense of purpose) he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.
I loved how the characters were treated with respect and developed well. The story takes time but it’s a subtle movie. Incredible.
The parents and the Carey Mulligan/Jake Gyllenhaal duo might seem like they’re at the center of the story, but it’s actually their kid who is. This is usually the case in life, as the kids are the ones who are most impacted, most lost, and the ones who remember the most. This movie puts forward this observation unlike any other divroce movies before it, which again, are about the couple who split up.
Despite the stellar cast and assured directing, I didn’t think this movie was good. It was so boring. The script was too simple and monotonous.