Film - Wildhood

I saw this screening at the Mockingbird - only my second visit there in a decade thanks to an invite from the wonderful people at Flatpack.  It’s great to rejoin the Filmhub set after these few years away from crowds and the films are always thought-provoking and/or insightful if not always fun. 

Wildwood tells us the story of young Link who lives with his little half-brother Travis and father who is stereotypically violent, as we often see in these American stories. Having believed his father who told him his mother died, Link is shocked to discover she left them. Believing she could still be alive, and after another hot-tempered episode, Link runs for it one night, setting alight to his father’s truck in the process. Of course, young Travis follows him and we experience their emotions as they journey across a rural region.

The story is lifted further when Link meets Pasmay, a pow wow dancer and they travel together as Link searches for love - in the unlikeliest of places, his true community and ultimately hopes for a better life.

A Canadian film emersed in the First Nation heritage and Flatpack introduced us to a musician from the country performing traditional music before the screening.

Wildhood is a beautiful film interspersed with just the right amount of tension which makes it both compelling to watch while reminding us that there is always someone out there who loves you.

8/10