Wild
Description
There are spirit animals, and then there’s the feral creature that wanders into the life of Ania (Lilith Strangenberg), an office worker in desperate need of inspiration. Spending her days putting up with a creep of a boss and her evenings numbly firing rounds at a shooting range, this single, 20-something woman’s life appears to be stuck on autopilot until one day when she spots a wolf wandering through the woods near her apartment. Suddenly, our mousy heroine finds her inner alpha canis lupus. She manages to drug and capture the animal—at which point the lonely city dweller and the lone wolf begin to leave the civilized world behind. Reverting to an animalistic state acts as a both a catharsis for Ania—a carnal invitation that becomes shockingly transgressive. Part feminist fairy tale, part surreal cross-species romance and part case study of a descent into madness, the third film from German actress-director Nicolette Krebitz takes no prisoners when it comes to its man vs. nature scenario—yet this extraordinary parable never treats its boundary-crossing amour fou story with knee-jerk sensationalism. Anchored by a genuinely fearless performance from Strangenberg, Wild feels like nothing you’ve seen before—a movie that treads into taboo territory that would have tamer films running away with tails between their legs. —David Fear
A child actor and ballet dancer who once hosted a kid’s TV show, Nicolette Krebitz had made her name as an burgeoning young star in popular German movies such as Bandits (SFIFF 1998) and The City Below (SFIFF 2011) before transitioning to directing. Her previous films include Jeans (2001) and The Heart Is a Dark Forest (2007).
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/158108035?autoplay=1Film Details
Language German
Year 2015
Runtime 97
Country Germany
Director Nicolette Krebitz
Producer Bettina Brokemper
Writer Nicolette Krebitz
Editor Bettina Böhler
Cinematographer Reinhold Vorschneider
Music Terranova
Cast Lilith Stangenberg, Georg Friedrich