Review: Wildlife

Image courtesy of IFC Films.

Paul Dano makes an impressive directorial debut with this bleak, but visually stunning, adaptation of Richard Ford's book about a Montana family that comes undone in the early 1960s. One of the elements that makes the picture particularly compelling is that this undoing results from the actions of both parents (played by Carey Mulligan and Jake Gylenhaal), but neither one is necessarily cast as the villain, despite both characters having their share of flaws.

The story told is from the perspective of Joe (Ed Oxenbould), a wide eyed and mild mannered teenager who is struggling to get accustomed to the Montana high school where is a relatively new student. He pretends to enjoy playing on the football team, mostly for his father's sake, but spends most of his time on the bench and doesn't seem to share any camaraderie with the other players.

Jerry (Gylenhaal) describes himself as a personable man who is able to win folks over by his repartee. However, as the film opens, he is fired from his job as a golf pro for, perhaps, engaging in too much chatter, and is clearly embarrassed by losing his job in front of his son. In a rare moment of unbelievability, Jerry is given the opportunity to return to work at the golf course, but his pride dictates that he turn it down.

Up to this point, the Brinsons' family dynamic appeared to be relatively stable: Jerry is the breadwinner whose bluster helps him to feed the family, while Jeanette (Mulligan) is the quietly supportive housewife you'd expect in that era and Joe is the shy, obedient son. But as Jerry becomes less inclined to find a job - and soon opts instead to leave the family home to help combat out-of-control wildfires in another part of the state for a measly pittance - the family begins to unravel.

Jeanette begins giving swimming lessons at the local YMCA and claims to have other job opportunities, which Joe - who has taken a part-time job at a photography studio - starts to find suspicious. Then, she befriends a wealthy older man named Miller (Bill Camp) and their relationship sets off alarm bells for Jerry, who uncomfortably observes how his mother's flirtation with Miller quickly becomes something more involved.

While Oxenbould gives a wonderfully restrained performance and Gyllenhaal provides excellent supporting work, "Wildlife" belongs to Mulligan, who portrays Jeanette as a woman who has been stuck in a difficult situation and wants something for herself, regardless of the consequences. The filmmakers are smart not to demonize Jeanette, despite one particularly awkward sequence that should be a bad parenting case study. She and Jerry both share some blame in the disaster that falls upon their family.

Dano has long been among the more interesting actors of his generation - hell, he held his own against Daniel Day Lewis - and with his directorial debut, he proves to be a talent behind the camera. "Wildlife" has much to recommend - its terrific trio of performances, the absolutely stunning use of Montana as a backdrop and strong direction - and I hope that the actor takes another shot at filmmaking in the future.