Rotterdam 2016 Review: WILD Brings Out The Inner Wolf

The Rotterdam International Film Festival had many, many world premieres this year, and some almost-world premieres as well, like German director Nicolette Krebitz' new film Wild, which had its first-ever screening mere days earlier at Sundance. Which made it a big unknown candidate when I acquired my ticket, as nobody I knew had seen it yet. Thankfully my gamble paid off, as Wild is a well-made and marvelously acted psychological drama.

In Wild we follow Ania, a young woman working at an IT firm. She is intelligent and attractive, but doesn't quite fit in with the loud and hip crowd at her work, and tends to keep to herself. Then, one day when she walks past a city park on her way to work, she spots a wolf. A big, BIG wolf. They look at each other and it wanders off into the trees.

But Ania feels shaken by the meeting. She can't stop thinking about it, and becomes determined to see the wild wolf again. As she gets more obsessed, she decides to catch the beast and keep it in her city apartment, but to do so, she needs to do some pretty wild stuff herself. And what will happen once she succeeds? What do you do with a wolf?

Wolves speak to our imagination; they are the fearsome villains in many a fairy-tale, the ancestors of the dogs we love, and magnificent creatures in their own right. Germany does indeed have several known "Herdes" of wild wolves, and strays can easily travel hundreds of kilometers. When one wild wolf briefly crossed the Dutch borders last year, it caused a national sensation, as it was the first one spotted in centuries. Therefore Ania's meeting in the film, though improbable, is not impossible. As a catalyst for change in her, it is a powerful one.

That Wild works as a film is in no small part due to a fearless Lilith Stangenberg, who gives an absolutely stunning performance as Ania. As the film progresses Ania gets increasingly smudged, battered, and scratched, but she also loses more and more of her inhibitions. Lilith believably shows her character's obsession, and the physical and mental deterioration caused by it. And Lilith's rapport with her amazing canine co-stars is a sight to behold. Two real giant wolves were used to portray the one Ania runs into, and at no time do you get the impression you're watching trained animals, or doubt that Lilith is about one second removed from a serious trip to the hospital. Note: wolves may not be evil, but they are a good deal sturdier than we are.

All other aspects of the film are fine as well. Her human co-stars do good work, though they obviously have to play second fiddle here. The film totally focuses on Ania, the camera often getting uncomfortably close, sparing us no detail of her increasingly wolf-like behavior, and the haunting soundtrack gives a heightened sense of danger.

With her film, Nicolette Krebitz asks the audience some difficult questions. As Ania veers into wilder, more extreme behavior, is it madness we see, or newfound freedom from repression? Whatever it is and how long it will last is uncertain, but as Ania becomes more savage, we also see her become something else: stronger. And happy.

Audiences in Rotterdam were happy as well, and awarded Wild a strong rating of 4.0 out of 5.