Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough
Running Time: 125 minutes
Synopsis: In the remote village of Keelut, Alaska, Medora Slone (Riley Keough) summons published author and wolf hunter Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) to track down and kill the wolf who devoured her young son. The terrain is treacherous, the locals suspicious, the daylight hours short, and the wolves a constant threat. But then Russell stumbles upon a shocking discovery, prompting the return of Melora's husband Vernon (Alexander Skarsgard) from the Iraq War. Vernon's friend Cheeon (Julian Black Antelope) and police Chief Donald Marium (James Badge Dale) also get involved as violence erupts.
What Works Well: The adaptation of the William Giraldi book allows a foreboding mood of dark isolation to hang heavy in the air. Keelut may just as well be located in the middle ages, and this is a place where outsiders are unwelcome, the sun only dares to appear for a few hours each day, and humans need animal instincts to match the unforgiving environment.
What Does Not Work As Well: Beyond the setting and ambience, not much else connects. The trudging narrative lacks a central focus, the primary perspective meandering from Medora to Russell then onto Donald and Vernon, with Cheeon also grabbing a bloody moment in the spotlight. Russell is the most constant presence, but he is just a reactive observer. The theme of locals being as one with nature (and specifically wolves) as a survival imperative, setting them far from civilized behaviour, emerges with crusty layers of soulless opaqueness.
Key Quote:
Cheeon: When we're killed, the past is killed. When kids are killed... that's different. When kids are killed, the future dies. There's no life without a future.
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