Rising Sun Media
Using the classic fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood as the baseline for its narrative framework, To Kill a Wolf tells the story of Dani (Maddison Brown), a runaway teenage girl found in the Oregon wilderness by a social pariah (Ivan Martin) who subsequently seeks to help the girl.
The threat comes in the form of Michael Esper as the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing lurking as a outwardly charismatic family man, who is instead a wolf in the sense of a certain type of man whom many a woman would be wise to be wary of.
Rather than a traditional fantasy film, what ensues is a nuanced drama that examines the inner workings of its characters, providing them with profound arcs, which allows the viewer to thorfaoughly invest in them.
A slow burn in the most sincere sense, every scene unfolds meaningfully without rushing to the various emotional conclusions the characters wrestle with, both as individuals and as intersecting character dynamics.
The performances are similarly subdued but deeply nuanced, with all the players bringing their individual characters vividly to life with all that encompasses for better and, as is very much the case here, for worse.
Writer and director Kelsey Taylor competently steers the viewer through her reimagining of the classic tale, the cinematography lending the landscape of the Pacific Northwest a suitably haunting vastness, effortlessly creating an ideal visual companion to the emotional journey unfolding narratively.
For those hoping To Kill a Wolf will also explore the fantasy aspects of its source material, they will be sorely disappointed, as Taylor’s rendition is rooted entirely in reality, the archetypes of the fairytale being granted a contemporary context with an emphasis on themes of trauma and redemption.
As such, the film is not for everyone, and even those who are happy to take a gamble with having their expectations subverted may find the film requires them to detach too significantly from any preconceived notions about how the narrative will unfold, as To Kill a Wolf is not a horror film either, despite how easily the cautionary tale lends itself to horror, but in Taylor’s hands, the subversion remains on a more allegorical level.
To Kill a Wolf is the kind of film that quietly but confidently delivers a deep impact built with subdued yet powerful sincerity, weaving an intricate narrative web for the patient viewer who is willing to let a film present its narrative to them on its own terms for an impactful and rewarding viewing experience without bombastic gestures to drive its point home.
Extras include commentary, deleted scenes, and music featurette.
