by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who doesn’t love cute animals? Who thinks it is a good idea to take in a bunch of random cute animals? Who would not be turned off by taking in exotic animals that really shouldn’t be there? If you answer “Yes” to all of those questions, you just might be the perfect audience for The Wolf and the Lion. This new family film from Canada tells the true story of a young woman in mourning who gives up her future as a musician to take in a wolf pup and a lion cub. When these beautiful animals are taken from her, she must go on a journey to bring them home.
This sounds all and good… but do you see something problematic about it? It is obvious that Alma (portrayed by Molly Kunz) is supposed to be our protagonist. The film makes sure we know that these animals should be with her. Everyone else who is trying to take them are awful and mean. But should she have them? If you can get past how morally wrong this is, you will probably enjoy the film better. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t realize how bad the situation is until the last few minutes.
But enough about that… what about the story? The early parts of the film deal with a lot of cute animal interactions. That is honestly the biggest selling point, so it works out nicely. For a good third of the film, the audience is treated to this adorable set up. The real story occurs when an accident takes the animals from Alma. She must get her wolf and lion back from a sanctuary and a circus. Throw in plenty of human antagonists and roadblocks with a sprinkle of melodramatic falsehoods, and you get the idea of what this film turns out to be. Most of the characters are terribly underwritten, which results in either annoying or hated cardboard cutouts.
Gilles de Maistre is behind the camera, but do they offer up some direction to elevate this flatly written family drama? Unfortunately, the film leans into a high gloss and artificial look. It is meant to be warm and sweet, but it just looks tacky and unengaging. It also lacks energy as it plods along. The use of slow motion and extra glossy footage makes the film feel cheesy when it is attempting to deliver some genuine heart and emotion. The message is also fumbled, as they wait until the last minute then hit you over the head with it. The final scene feels staged and artificial.
But what about the actors? Graham Greene feels like the only actor delivering a consistently genuine and engaging performance (he is also the most seasoned of the bunch). Kunz is sweet, but some of her line delivery and emotional moments feel awkward and don’t deliver as they should. Charlie Carrick is an antagonist-turned-love-interest who makes every decision over the top and obnoxious. His performance is particularly distracting. Then you have a cartoon villain from the circus brought to life by Evan Buliung.
Is this film cheesy? Is it melodramatic? Is it good? This family drama full of cute animals is exactly what you would expect, and nothing more. If that is enough for you, then you would have a winner in The Wolf and the Lion. If you want something more artistically satisfying, you are out of luck.
Grade: C-
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