Wildhood

Wildhood is a 2021 Canadian coming-of-age romantic drama film, written, produced, and directed by Bretten Hannam.[1]

Wildhood
Film poster
Directed byBretten Hannam
Written byBretten Hannam
Produced byJulie Baldassi
Damon D'Oliveira
Gharrett Patrick Paon
StarringPhillip Lewitski
Joshua Odjick
CinematographyGuy Godfree
Edited byShaun Rykiss
Music byNeil Haverty
Production
companies
Rebel Road Films
Younger Daughter Films
Distributed byFilms Boutique
Release date
  • September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Mi'kmaq

An expansion of Hannam's earlier short film Wildfire, which was the winner of the award for Best Short Film at the Screen Nova Scotia awards in 2020,[2] the film stars Phillip Lewitski as Lincoln, a young man in his late teens who was raised disconnected from his maternal Mi'kmaq heritage by his abusive white father Arvin (Joel Thomas Hynes); following the discovery that his mother Sarah, whom he had long been told was dead, is in fact still alive, he takes his younger half-brother Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony) on a journey to find her. En route, they meet the openly two-spirit Pasmay (Joshua Odjick), who becomes both a guide to Lincoln in reconnecting with his indigenous roots and a love interest.[3]

The cast also includes Michael Greyeyes, Savonna Spracklin, Jordan Poole, Samuel Davison and Steve Lund.

Cast

Production and distribution

The film's screenplay won Telefilm Canada's Pitch This! competition at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival,[1] and was funded by Telefilm Canada in 2019.[4] The film entered production in 2020 in the Windsor, Nova Scotia area.[3]

The film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2021.[5] It was subsequently screened at the 2021 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, the 2021 Atlantic Film Festival, and the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival. It has been acquired for commercial distribution by Films Boutique.[6]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% approval rating, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "A coming-of-age story with several refreshing twists, Wildhood sends its protagonist on a bittersweet, beautifully filmed journey."[7]

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film favourably, writing that "The trio’s dynamic is entertaining, and they crack jokes with the same fierceness with which they argue. But it’s the evolving romance between Link and Pasmay that’s the most fun to witness. Maybe I’m a sucker for romance, but watching Link and Pasmay steal glances and exchange knowing smirks begins to feel more thrilling than the journey itself. Lewitski, who stars in Hulu's Utopia Falls, and Odjick have a subtle and exciting chemistry that makes rooting for their budding love easy. The progress of that love is measured by the proximity of their bodies, which, as they get closer to finding Sarah, feel bound by an almost spiritual force."[8]

For The Coast, Morgan Mullin wrote that "the movie is at its strongest when it turns away from the family that abandoned its leads and leans into their frisson-filled connection instead (even if their most intimate moment borrows a touch too heavily from Moonlight). Traipsing the countryside together and awash in that magic-hour light, the two youth learn to be themselves while Pasmay teaches Link pow wow dancing."[9]

Awards
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival2021Cinema Indigenized Outstanding TalentBretten HannamWon[10]
FIN Atlantic Film Festival2021Best FeatureWildhoodWon[11]
Best DirectorBretten HannamWon
Best ScreenwriterWon
Best ActorAvery Winters-AnthonyWon
Directors Guild of Canada2021DGC Discovery AwardBretten HannamNominated[12]
Canadian Screen Awards2022Best PictureGharrett Patrick Paon, Julie Baldassi, Bretten HannamNominated[13]
Best DirectorBretten HannamNominated
Best ActorPhillip LewitskiNominated
Best Supporting ActorJoshua OdjickWon
Best Original ScreenplayBretten HannamNominated
Best Casting in a FilmStephanie GorinNominated
Vancouver Film Critics CircleMarch 7, 2022Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian FilmJoshua OdjickWon[14]
Screen Nova Scotia2022Best Feature FilmWildhoodNominated[15]
ACTRA Award for Outstanding PerformanceMary-Colin ChisholmNominated
Desna Michael ThomasNominated
Avery Winters AnthonyWon

References
  1. Gow, Steve (August 25, 2020). "Nova Scotia's film industry restarts with 'Wildhood'". Halifax Today. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021.
  2. "Murmur wins top prize at Screen Nova Scotia awards". CBC News. December 6, 2020.
  3. "Hannam's Wildhood, a two-spirit teenage road trip, now filming in Windsor". SaltWire Network. August 19, 2020.
  4. Kay, Jeremy (June 27, 2019). "Telefilm Canada unveils eight indigenous filmmakers to receive backing". Screen Daily.
  5. Rubin, Rebecca (July 28, 2021). "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery Lineup". Variety.
  6. Barraclough, Leo (August 27, 2021). "Toronto-Bound 'Wildhood,' Helmed by Bretten Hannam, Picked Up by Films Boutique". Variety.
  7. "Wildhood". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  8. Gyarkye, Lovia (September 22, 2021). "'Wildhood': Film Review (TIFF 2021)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Mullin, Morgan (September 16, 2021). "Movie review: Wildhood's ephemeral glow". The Coast.
  10. Macdonald, Donald (October 3, 2021). "Sudbury entertainment briefs: New novel; Cinefest awards". Sudbury Star.
  11. Robins, Mark (September 24, 2021). "Wildhood scores a quartet of awards at this year's FIN Atlantic International Film Festival". Halifax Presents.
  12. "TV & Film News – DGC reveals Discovery Award long list of emerging directors to watch". Broadcast Dialogue. September 23, 2021.
  13. Furdyk, Brent (February 15, 2022). "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, 'Sort Of' & 'Scarborough' Lead The Pack". ET Canada. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022.
  14. Gee, Dana (March 8, 2022). "The Power of the Dog named year's best feature by Vancouver Film Critics Circle". Vancouver Sun.
  15. David, Greg (May 17, 2022). "Screen Nova Scotia Announces 2022 Award Nominees and Return to In-Person Gala". TV, eh?.
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