THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLFBOY – A Review by Cynthia Flores
I love a good fable. And when you put it in current times without losing the magic in that kind of story and without going overboard with special effects, then you’ve done something special. The True Adventures of Wolfboy is Martin Krejci’s feature-length directorial debut. The director has a gentle style and ability to show the tender universal pain of being different in this world. There are shades of Tim Burton touches ala 1990 hit Edward Scissorhands in his filmmaking on this project. However, Krejci has a much calmer and grounded method of handling a modern-day fable’s particulars, making it a very accessible film. I loved the way it’s laid out and broken up by illustrated chapters with titles such as “The Dragons Dilemma” and “Wolfboy Meets a Mermaid.”
The True Adventures of Wolfboy tells the story of Paul (Jaeden Martell), a 13-year-old boy who suffers from a rare condition he has known as congenital hypertrichosis. This affliction causes an abnormal amount of hair growth all over his face and body. Paul lives an isolated life with his loving father, Denny (Chris Messina), in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to his looks. On his thirteenth birthday, Paul receives a mysterious gift that compels him to run away and seek out his mother, Jen (Chloë Sevigny), someone he’s never known.
Being naive and with no money to get to where he thinks his mother is, Paul falls into bad company at the carnival. There Mr. Silk (John Turturro) convinces the boy to use his deformity to his advantage and get paid as a sideshow freak. Paul’s time at the carnival ends badly. Leaving Mr. Silk seeking revenge. Luckily for Paul, he manages to make friends with Aristiana (Sophie Giannamore), someone who understands hating the body you’re born in. Together with Aristiana’s older, patch-over-one-eye friend Rose (Eve Hewson), they decide to drive him to find his mother. First, Rose takes Paul on a petty robbery spree to gather everything they need to throw him his first birthday party.
The rest of the film is a coming of age story that isn’t your average cookie-cutter Hollywood fare. Instead, it’s inventive and fun while still keeping its feet grounded in reality. This film shines a light on acceptance and loving yourself.
I give The True Adventures of Wolfboy a 4-star rating, and I hope you’ll seek it out. Because, if we support independent gems like this one, maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll make more, good positive movies like this one.
Directed by: Martin Krejci
Written by: Olivia Dufault
Rated: PG-13
Selig Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 88min
Drama
Release: On-Demand and Digital October 30th
Starring: Chloë Sevigny, Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, John Turturro, Sophie Giannamore, Eve Hewson
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
