Writer-director Nathalie Biancheri‘s WOLF is an earnest but flawed psychological thriller exploring the world of species dysphoria. We meet Jacob (George MacKay) as his parents check him into a mental health facility in an attempt to cure him of his belief that he is actually a wolf born into a human body.  At the facility, Jacob is forced to work on overcoming his animal inclinations while at the same time exploring what it is to be human. Sadly the compassionate approach is undercut by forced moments of hamfisted villainy and no real message of any consequence.

When Jacob is checked into the facility he meets the main caregiver (Eileen Walsh) and a host of other patients including a young man that believes he is a German Shepheard, (Fionn O’Shea) and a young woman that calls herself Wildcat (Lily-Rose Depp). In group therapy, the saccharine sweet therapist encourages them to talk about their animalistic dispositions while pointing out that they are, in fact, all humans. Everything reeks of conversion therapy with a sunny, antiseptic environment hinting at a dark undercurrent of repression and hate.

We soon see the proprietor of the correction facility in action and the evil makes itself known. The Zookeeper (Paddy Considine) accompanies a group of his patients into the forest and forces them to act as their animal would resulting in humiliation and injury. The only solace Jacob finds is in his budding relationship with Wildcat and their after-hours tours through the sterile facility. Of course, Wildcat has a secret and a seemingly unbreakable connection with the facility despite her longing to flee. The main conflict arises when Jacob’s animalistic tendencies go toe-to-paw with The Zookeeper’s Ratched-like therapy.

The film explores some fascinating quandaries in what it means to be human and the inherent benevolence of animal nature but it seems to struggle for a thesis. Credit goes to MacKay’s primal performance as Jacob the wolf here in masterfully anchoring the film in a stunning piece of work. Leaving Yoga Hosers far behind we are treated to a solid performance by Depp as her Wildcat brims with humanity and childlike fear. Her career choices have been fascinating of late and I am eager to see where she goes next. I would also like to point out O’Shea‘s scene-stealing performance as German Shepheard. You simply cannot take your eyes off of this young actor.

No, the problem here is Biancheri‘s half-baked script that dares not tread into the deeper territories of CIS existence and the “humanity” of animals. Instead, we trudge through a simple story of repression, belonging, and hopefully, redemption for a clatch of tortured misunderstood innocents. The aim is true here and certainly not meant as exploitation but the hesitation to dive into the primal level-ground between humans and animals along with what it means to be comfortable with who you are is an opportunity that is lost. Despite that, Biancheri‘s direction mostly shines with her talent for capturing some beautifully nuanced pacing paired with abrupt moments of verité observation. She is a directorial talent to watch that gives her audience trust to follow along.

Wolf is a worthy watch on account of the beautifully physical performance by MacKay, the intriguing choices by Depp, and the Heneke-Esque approach that Biancheri gives her material. Keep an eye on all three as they show delicious promise. But for now, eh, well, this was nice.

6 out of 10