It was only a matter of time that Paul Dano sat in the director’s chair. As an actor, his performances in ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ ‘There Will Be Blood’ and ‘Love & Mercy’ have been brooding character studies. His directorial debut is the film ‘Wildlife,’ a perfectly balanced drama about a nuclear family quietly imploding. It’s a deeply moving portrait of Richard Ford’s novel adapted to the screen with the help of his partner Zoe Kazan. It’s a tragic snapshot of a period in American history that was viewed through rose-tinted glasses. ‘Wildlife’ is a slow-burning drama filled with richly textured performances and elegant cinematography.
Set in the fall of 1960 Montana, the Brinson’s look like a typical middle-class family. Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) works as a golf caddie for a local country club. His wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) is a stay-at-home mom and looks after their 14-year-old son Joe (Ed Oxenbould). This was supposed to be a prosperous time for most Americans. The film slowly reveals the cracks of a marriage through the eyes of the teenage boy. The first crack comes when Jerry loses his job at the golf course for being overly friendly to the clients. When he is offered his job back, Jerry’s pride gets in the way and he refuses to return. Seeing that the family’s financial situation is getting tenuous, Jeanette finds a job.
As most job prospects seem a dead-end in the small town of Great Falls, Jerry decides to sign up for a crew fighting wildfires. The smoke clouds in the horizon are a metaphor for the growing tensions in their marriage. Jeanette feels devastated that Jerry will take a low-wage job fighting fires and leaving the family to survive alone. We feel for Jeanette but we also feel for Jerry. This was a time when the man of the household was the primary breadwinner. It was also a time in American history when women across the country were questioning their roles as simply a housewife. Mulligan’s stellar performance perfectly captures a woman at the crossroads. At first, she depicts the model housewife but eventually evolves into an independent woman.
So Jerry takes off to fight fires and Jeanette goes through a transformation. She asks her son, “I’m 34. Does that seem like the wrong age?” In a way, ‘Wildlife’ is a coming-of-age drama for two generations. Joe has to grow up fast and decides to take a job at a portrait studio. Jeanette begins to dress as she did in high school. She pursues a wealthier older man Warren (Bill Camp) who owns a local car dealership. She looks at the portly cigar-smoking man as her ticket into a better lifestyle. Warren invites Jeanette and her son Joe over to his nice home for dinner. It’s a powerful scene. Mulligan portrays a woman that is desperate and alluring at the same time. She is a safe bet for a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Her performance is that revelatory.
‘Wildlife’ perfectly captures the crumbling of the American Dream in the early 1960s. It was a time for women to stay at home and play the housewife. The only problem is that most women were not feeling fulfilled in this role. You can call this a feminist film. Mulligan is incredible as the frustrated housewife. It’s a drama that slowly chips away at the American ideal of the happy homemaker. Maybe some women were satisfied baking cookies and smiling like June Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver but most women wanted more. The filmmaker gets this complex predicament on the American family right. This is an impressive directorial debut from Dano. ‘Wildlife’ is an essential film to watch this award season.
