The Wolf and the Lion, 2021.
Directed by Gilles de Maistre.
Starring Molly Kunz, Graham Greene, Charlie Carrick, Derek Johns, Rebecca Croll, Rhys Slack, Evan Buliung, and Daniel Brochu.
SYNOPSIS:
A wolf pup and a lost lion cub are rescued by a girl in the heart of the Canadian wilderness. Their friendship will change their lives forever.
As unlikely as it sounds, a canine and a feline became the best of friends. However, what makes this somewhat fascinating is that The Wolf and the Lion uses actual animals and practically no CGI, which organically adds a semblance of sincerity to the animal-rights preaching. It’s not necessarily a story whipped up from thin air to spread its message, but rather an experiment to observe what would happen if these born rivals were in the presence of one another from a young age (reportedly, four wolf pups and two lion cubs were chosen for the process). As a result, the Canadian forest setting is also captured with serenity and beauty, suggesting the harmony these animals can find with one another.
It’s also evident that director Gilles de Maistre (who is credited with the idea for this story, writing the screenplay alongside his wife Prune de Maistre, having collaborated before on similarly noble animal-related cinematic projects) knows how to film these animals, generating much cuteness watching the titular animals play, tear apart furniture (more on that soon), long for one another’s company, and enjoy the outdoors even if it might not be their natural habitat. It’s not a nature documentary, but some of that is peppered into the movie, and that’s unquestionably the most alluring material here.
Working against The Wolf and the Lion is the human story devised at the center, which follows musical student Alma (Molly Kunz, who nonetheless radiates the necessary excitement and affection towards the animals for making the narrative tolerable) who, despite winning a competition to play in a real band, doesn’t care much for playing the piano. It’s what her father pressured her into doing, who has recently passed away. Such tragedy has brought Alma back to her childhood home, where, while seeking closure and packing up heirlooms, she discovers that her dad has been taking care of a wolf.
Alma also grows concerned that some animal trackers are snooping around the forest, looking to tranquilize these endangered species so that they can be captured and released back into their natural habitat. Ignoring how they are going about accomplishing this, it doesn’t sound like the cruelest thing in the world, so, unsurprisingly, they will inevitably have to work together to decide what is genuinely best for these animals (specifically the wolf that the trackers are obsessed with). Serving no real purpose to the story, Alma has a godfather played by Graham Greene who lives at the opposite end of the area, disappointed that Alma is essentially throwing away her musical talent over providing housecare for some wild animals that she probably shouldn’t be in charge of in the first place.
It’s also worth mentioning that this lion cub was initially purchased by a circus and was in transit until a thunderstorm caused the aircraft to crash land into the forest, strangely with no one concerned about who was in the plane. The cub survived and crossed paths with Alma, which is all that matters. Theoretically, the animals are all that should matter, but that doesn’t stop the script from focusing too much on these human dilemmas, increasingly stretching credibility with over-the-top developments and introducing new characters that simply don’t have enough to do. Some of it exists to express how abusive circuses can be without much subtlety or thoughtful insight.
There’s also a poor job done executing the passage of time, whether it’s for the humans or how cubs and pups gradually age into wolves and lions. The ending montage of the time spent together doesn’t mean anything because whatever journey is here falls flat; it is hard to tell how much time has passed. Even when some life-threatening danger is thrown into the mix during the climax, there’s not much to get worked up about. Perhaps The Wolf and the Lion should have been stripped down into a movie exclusively about a wolf and a lion for more meaningful and affecting results.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
