Wildlife

With co-writer Zoe Kazan, director Paul Dano, and actors Ed Oxenbould and Zoe Margaret Colletti in person

Dir. Paul Dano. 2018, 105 mins. DCP. Carey Mulligan, jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould, Bill Camp. Fourteen-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry—a housewife and a golf pro—in a small town in 1960s Montana. Outside of town, an uncontrolled forest fire rages. When Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses his job, he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving Joe and Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) alone indefinitely. The film stays close to Joe’s perspective, watching with him as a new side of his mother is revealed. Paul Dano’s debut as a director (working from a script co-written by Zoe Kazan, adapting Richard Ford’s novel) is an uncommonly understated, visually unadorned but emotionally rich chamber piece about a family’s dissolution as a son fights against disillusionment, allowing for a portrait of three adults trying to understand themselves and one another. Nominated for 3 Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature.

“Wildlife is a domestic drama both sad and terrifying. The entire cast does exceptional work, but the movie is anchored by Mulligan, who gives the best performance of any I’ve seen in film this year.”—Glenn Kenny, The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / free for Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact [email protected] with questions regarding online reservations.)

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