The True Adventures of Wolfboy

"I connected with Paul because I related to his emotions and struggles, and I wanted to allow the audience to experience that same connection. I loved that the screenplay offered a new approach to a somewhat traditional "coming of age" narrative. Olivia's script twists the familiar "outsider" tale about "accepting the world & the world accepting you," with an unusual charge that evokes a realization inside the viewer's mind: we all have moments where we feel like outsiders, isolated, and misunderstood. Yet, those subjective feelings of loneliness can bring people together when you realize that we all share these feelings & common struggles. "Martin Krej?í

Many films have been inspired by fairy tales to bring to life universal stories based on valiant knights, giant dragons, ogres, mermaids and other diverse creatures. By following a predefined pattern, these films have too often tended to look alike. Some films such as Willow (1988), Princess Bride (1988), Beauty and the Beast (2017) have however managed to dust off these often too smooth adaptations. In the same way The True Adventures of Wolfboy is also intended to be a modern tale, but unlike the aforementioned films, it remains anchored in our daily lives.

Paul is a lonely child who lives with his father. He suffers from hypertrichosis, a disease that causes a thick layer of hair to grow all over his body. He is therefore exposed to an assortment of bullying, isolation and self-loathing and prefers to wear a hood and go out as little as possible. However, after visiting a carnival on his thirteenth birthday, his life is turned upside down when, after an argument with his father, he runs away from home to try to find his estranged mother. His long journey will bring him into contact with many people such as Aristiana, a transsexual girl, Rose, a lawless delinquent with a penchant for cars and armed robbery, and Mr. Silk, a corrupt carnival operator. While being pursued by law enforcement and Mr. Silk, Paul must accept his appearance, and eventually learn the secret story of his family's legacy.

The True Adventures of Wolfboy regains all the charm of modern storytelling, especially thanks to its structure built in the manner of a book with a fairy tale image to separate the different parts of the story. This story shows in the most beautiful way that we must know how to appreciate who we are even if we are different by our physical appearance or our personal orientation. This illustration of the passage to adulthood manages to keep a sense of playfulness and fantasy perfectly mastered. We therefore follow Paul's introspective quest in search of his mother and his origins. We will also appreciate his cast including Jaeden Martell (Paul), Chloë Sevigny (Jen), Eve Hewson (Rose), Chris Messina (Denny), John Turturro (Mr. Silk), Stephen Henderson (Nicholas) and Michelle Wilson (Pollok).

By avoiding overly sentimentality and unnecessary childishness, The True Adventures of Wolfboy universally addresses our modern society in which we too often tend to judge people on their looks and not on their many personal qualities. Some very moving scenes remind us of the fragility of life and its many uneducated people listening only to themselves and believing that they can do anything, such as the group of children harassing Paul at the carnival or Mr. Silk who will do anything to earn as much money as possible. With all these qualities, we can only advise you to discover The True Adventures of Wolfboy which will be released in the United States on October 30th in VOD.

The True Adventures of Wolfboy
Directed by Martin Krej?í
Produced by Declan Baldwin, Lauren Beck, Benjamin Blake, Josh Godfrey, Kimberly Steward
Screenplay by Olivia Dufault
Starring Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Sophie Giannamore, Chloë Sevigny, John Turturro
Music by Nick Urata
Cinematography: Andrew Droz Palermo
Edited by Joseph Krings
Production companies : K Period Media, Big Indie Pictures, Legacy Effects
Distributed by Vertical Entertainment
Release date: July 2, 2019 (KVIFF), October 30, 2020 (United States)
Running time: 88 minutes

Seen on October 25, 2020 (press screener)

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