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Wolf

Drama. Thriller. Romance. Mystery Jacob, a man who believes he is a wolf trapped in a human body, is sent to a clinic by his family where he is forced to undergo increasingly extreme forms of “curative” therapies at the hands of The Zookeeper. Jacob’s only solace is the enigmatic wildcat with whom he roams the hospital in the dead of night. The two form an improbable friendship that develops into infatuation.
Author Review
United StatesUnited States
The New York Times
The New York Times
"Though MacKay and Depp perform with devoted bodily fervor, it’s hard to connect to their characters. Still, Biancheri’s imagery is consistently evocative"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
rogerebert.com
rogerebert.com
"Taking stock of the conundrums introduced, the most essential query remains a basic one: what is Biancheri trying to communicate? (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
IndieWire
IndieWire
"Nathalie Biancheri's fascinating sophomore effort hinges on the fully committed performances of her two talented stars (...) A deeply empathetic, thought-provoking film"  POS
United StatesUnited States
AV Club
AV Club
"We learn virtually nothing about Jacob apart from his desire to be a wolf; MacKay gives an admirably committed performance (...) but he just doesn’t have much to work with, emotionally"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
"The filmmaker exerts such strong stylistic control over the material that she miraculously manages to make it work. 'Wolf' certainly won’t be for all tastes, but adventurous filmgoers will find much to appreciate"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
"MacKay is a fine actor, vividly rendering Jacob’s anguish at being a wolf trapped in a human body (...) However 'Wolf' is intended to be taken, it’s not especially nuanced (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media
"[It] doesn't quite make the impact its complex themes and artsy cinematography seem to promise (...) What holds it together, is a performance from MacKay that is both restrained and fully committed (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
The Wrap
The Wrap
"What started with a sympathetic gaze promising complexity ultimately succumbs to the messiness of mixed tones and shallow observations, a call of the wild reduced to some tinny, ignorable whimpers"  NEG
United StatesUnited States
Variety
Variety
"George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp are fully committed, in both senses of the word, in an oddly flat drama"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
"Biancheri’s sense of narrative adventure imbues this survivalist picture with more than uneasiness. She gives it tenderness."  POS
United StatesUnited States
Slant
Slant
"A trans allegory anchored by committed performances (...) 'Wolf' feels muddled as much in its messaging as its metaphor (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
"Nathalie Biancheri treats this potentially sensational material with sensitivity and empathy (...) This is an involving and dark fairy tale, with great performances from MacKay and Depp (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
"Sometimes 'Wolf' is slight, relying on mystery and metaphor to build suspense, but Biancheri’s sense of narrative adventure imbues this survivalist picture with more than uneasiness. She gives it tenderness"  POS
United StatesUnited States
ReelViews
ReelViews
"I found 'Wolf' to be a frustrating experience (...) The world-building is inadequate and the storyline is erratic (...) There are some good performances here, but the movie as a whole doesn't work (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"  NEG
United StatesUnited States
Detroit News
Detroit News
"Nathalie Biancheri explores species dysphoria in strange film that never finds itself (...) 'Wolf' toes a line between serious and silly and more often than not falls flat into the latter"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Paste Magazine
Paste Magazine
"Not entirely without moments of engrossing performance, 'Wolf' is almost worth the watch for the bravery of its lead actors (...) Though this is no small feat, it's not enough to salvage a film that lacks apparent motive"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Polygon
Polygon
"One of today's best young actors unleashes the beast (...) But practically everything about 'Wolf' relies on MacKay, who has to be convincing enough to simultaneously draw viewers' empathy and promote their unease. And he is"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
"A questioning of identity within societal constraints of what it takes to fit in. If it seems like there are no easy answers, it's because there are none to be found in this bleak and restrained drama (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"  NEU
CanadaCanada
JoBlo
JoBlo
"The performances bring it all together. George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp are both fantastic here (...) This is a slightly fantastical look at a subject matter rarely talked about in cinema"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Decider
Decider
"For a movie about people letting out their inner animals, be they large bears or diminutive tree rodents, 'Wolf' is remarkably dull"  NEG
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