Wildlife

A coolly accomplished directorial debut from prolific US indie-star Paul Dano (THERE WILL BE BLOOD, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), WILDLIFE is a compellingly slow-burn study of a troubled family in early 1960’s Montana, based on the novel by American great Richard Ford. Remarkably, it’s the first of Ford’s critically-adored books to be adapted for big screen. At the heart of the screenplay by Dano and his partner Zoe Kazan is the tender relationship between Jeanette Brinson and her teenage son Joe, detailing how they cope with the prolonged absence of firefighting husband/father Jerry. A work of precision editing, poised cinematography and subtly evocative score, this mature examination of human frailties and needs plays like a male-oriented counterpart of Greta Gerwig’s LADY BIRD with a touch of Ang Lee’s THE ICE STORM. Mulligan confirms her status among the leading performers of her generation, bringing to vivid life a modern, passionate and unconventional woman who refuses to conform to “homemaker” stereotypes; fast-rising Australian talent Oxenbould is at least as impressive, empathetically tracing each tricky contour of Joe’s route to adulthood. (Neil Young)