The Wolf House

The Wolf House (Spanish: La casa lobo) is a 2018 Chilean adult stop motion animated art film directed by Cristobal León & Joaquín Cociña (in their directorial debuts) and co-written with Alejandra Moffat.

The Wolf House
Film poster
SpanishLa casa lobo
Directed byCristobal León
Joaquín Cociña
Written by
  • Cristóbal León
  • Joaquín Cociña
  • Alejandra Moffat
Produced by
  • Catalina Vergara
  • Niles Atallah
Starring
  • Amalia Kassai
  • Rainer Krause
CinematographyCristobal León
Joaquín Cociña
Production
companies
Diluvio
Globo Rojo Films
Release date
  • February 22, 2018 (2018-02-22) (Berlin)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryChile
LanguagesSpanish
German
Budget$245,000

Inspired by the actual case of Colonia Dignidad, The Wolf House masquerades as an animated fairy tale produced by the leader of the sect in order to indoctrinate its followers.[1] The film uses elements of avant-garde cinema, dark fantasy, adult animation, psychological drama, surrealism, and supernatural horror.[2][3]

It had its world premiere at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in the Forum section on February 22, 2018.[4]

Plot

María, an idle and irresponsible girl living in the isolated Colony, flees into the woods rather than face the community's punishment for failing to contribute. She narrowly escapes a pursuing wolf by taking refuge in an abandoned house.

She is welcomed by two pigs, the only inhabitants of the place. Like in a dream, the universe of the house reacts to Maria's feelings and shapes itself into her ideal home. The pigs transform slowly into humans whom she names Ana and Pedro. Although the wolf's presence outside makes it impossible for any of them to leave, the group lives happily for a short time. María ignores the wolf's repeated attempts to tempt her back to the Colony and denies its description of the house as a new kind of cage.

Time passes. As the secluded household begins to run out of food, Ana and Pedro become increasingly hostile and secretive toward María. They hide food from her and share it between themselves. María, afraid to confront them, instead tries to leave the house and pick apples in the woods. Ana and Pedro stop her. They claim there is enough food in the house and that leaving would only put her at risk of being caught by the wolf. For the first time, María thinks longingly of the Colony and voices a more positive view of the wolf. The wolf, she thinks, knows the way home. The wolf would take care of her.

Ana and Pedro tie María to a bed to prevent her from leaving. As they stand over her discussing their hunger, María realizes they intend to eat her. Despairing, María begs the wolf to save her. The wolf enters the house and eats Ana and Pedro. María transforms into a bird and flies home to the Colony.

In a brief closing narration, the wolf says María regained her helpful and hardworking spirit once she returned home. He offers to take the "little pigs" in the audience home to the Colony, where he promises he will care for them.

Production

For its production, it received support from several projects including the Chile Fund for Film Project Development and the FONDART from the National Council of Culture and the Arts.[5]

It took five years to develop the film in the workshop with animators independently,[6] it incorporates both chalk-like drawn and stop motion animation; the former for opening and ending scene, while the latter using various objects into different forms entirely such as clay, paint, papier-mâché, and puppet, similar to their previous short films; as well as utilizes a single shot sequence to more look like a one-shot film (except the live-action metafiction opening scene).[7]

Filming

The film was shot in several studios and exhibitions at museums of different cities from Latin America and Europe including the Upstream Gallery in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Kampnagel in Hamburg, Germany and the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile.[8]

Release

It had its world premiere at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival on February 22, 2018. It was also screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival[9] where it won the Jury Distinction, the Monterrey International Film Festival and other Chilean festivals including the Valdivia Film Festival and the Viña del Mar International Film Festival.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The critical consensus reads "Surreal, unsettling, and finally haunting, The Wolf House is a stunning outpouring of creativity whose striking visuals queasily complement its disturbing story."[10] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]

Glenn Kenny of The New York Times gave the film a positive review writing: "The film surprises, with incredible force, in every one of its 75 minutes.".[12] Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film for its visuals, writing: "the deeply uncanny pic makes for an unsettling viewing experience, a creative tour de force whose endlessly fascinating visuals are deliberately seductive and repellent in equal measure.".[13] David Ehrlich of IndieWire rated the film a B+, calling it "one of the darkest animated movies ever made.".[14]

Awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Annecy International Animation Film Festival June 16, 2018 Cristal Award for Feature Film The Wolf House Nominated [15]
Jury Distinction Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards December 13, 2020 Best Animated Film Won [16][17]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards December 21, 2020 Best Animated Film Nominated [18]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards December 21, 2020 Best Animated Film Nominated [19]
Mar del Plata International Film Festival November 17, 2018 Best Latin-American Film Nominated [20]
Online Film Critics Society Awards January 25, 2021 Best Animated Film Nominated [21]
Platino Awards May 12, 2019 Best Animated Film Nominated [22]
Quirino Awards April 6, 2019 Best Visual Development Natalia Geisse, Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña Won [23]
San Sebastian International Film Festival September 29, 2018 Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña Nominated [24]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards January 17, 2021 Best Animated Film The Wolf House Nominated [25]
Valdivia International Film Festival October 14, 2018 Audience Award Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña Won [26]
Héctor Rios Award for Best Cinematography Won

References
  1. "The Wolf House". KimStim. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  2. Fagerholm, Matt. "The Wolf House movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  3. "The Wolf House (2020)". AllMovie. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  4. "La casa lobo". Berlinale. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  5. "LA CASA LOBO". Diluvio. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  6. Fagerholm, Matt. "The Wolf House movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. Kenny, Glenn (2020-05-14). "'The Wolf House' Review: A Different Kind of Quarantine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. "La Casa Lobo". Leoncocina. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  9. Amidi, Amid (June 16, 2018). "Annecy:'Funan', 'Bloeistraat 11' Top 2018 Annecy (Complete List of Winners)". Cartoon Brew.
  10. "The Wolf House". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. "The Wolf House Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  12. Kenny, Glenn (14 May 2020). "'The Wolf House' Review: A Different Kind of Quarantine". The New York Times.
  13. Holland, Jonathan (10 December 2018). "'The Wolf House' ('La Casa Lobo'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. Ehrlich, David (15 May 2020). "'The Wolf House' Review: A Chilean Nazi Cult Inspires One of the Darkest Animated Movies Ever". IndieWire.
  15. Amidi, Amid (16 June 2018). "Annecy:'Funan', 'Bloeistraat 11' Top 2018 Annecy (Complete List of Winners)". Cartoon Brew.
  16. "Current Winners – 2020 Awards". Boston Society of Film Critics. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  17. The Boston Society of Film Critics names its winners for 2020 - The Boston Globe
  18. "'Nomadland' Scores Seven Nominations From Chicago Film Critics Association". Variety. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  19. "2020 FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS". Florida Film Critics Circle. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  20. "Festival de Mar del Plata 2018: Programación completa". Otros Cines (in Spanish). Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  21. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 25, 2021). "Online Films Critics Society Unveils Annual Film Awards Recipients, Names 'Nomadland' Best Picture". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  22. "'Roma' obtiene nueva nominaciones a los Premios Platino" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  23. Jiménez, Jesús (19 February 2019). "'Un día más con vida' y 'Buñuel en el laberinto de las tortugas' finalistas a los II Premios Quirino de animación". RTVE (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  24. "66 Edición 2018". San Sebastian International Film Festival. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  25. Neglia, Matt (January 10, 2021). "The 2020 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  26. ""La Casa Lobo" es el primer largometraje en stop motion de producción chilena Película chilena de animación inspirada en Colonia Dignidad gana Premio del Público FICValdivia 2018". Culturizarte (in Spanish). October 14, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
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