#1031: DANO, Paul: Wildlife (2018)

DANO, Paul (United States)
Wildlife [2018]
Spine #1031
Blu-ray


The directorial debut of actor Paul Dano reveals a filmmaking talent of remarkable intelligence and restraint. Adapted by Dano and Zoe Kazan from the novel by Richard Ford, this meticulously crafted portrait of the American nuclear family in crisis charts the rift that forms within a 1960s Montana household when the father and breadwinner (Jake Gyllenhaal) abruptly departs to fight the forest fires raging nearby, leaving his restless wife (Carey Mulligan, in a performance of fearless emotional honesty) and teenage son (Ed Oxenbould) to pick up the pieces. A deeply human look at a woman's wayward journey toward self-fulfillment in the pre-women's liberation era and a sensitively observed, child's-eye coming-of-age tale, Wildlife poignantly illuminates the complex ways in which families function, fall apart, and find their way.

105 minutes
Color
5.1 Surround
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writers


Based on the book by Richard Ford.
Screenplay by Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan.
Dano was 34 when he directed Wildlife.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Mark Harris.

Commentary

None.

Interviews

With director Dano, screenwriter Kazan, actors Mulligan and Gyllenhaal, DP Diego García, production designer Akin McKenzie, and costume designer Amanda Ford.

Conversation

On the film’s postproduction with Dano, editor Matthew Hannah, and composer David Lang.

Film at Lincoln Center

Conversation from 2018 between Dano and novelist Ford about the film’s source material.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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