Wildcat, 2024.
Directed by Ethan Hawke.
Starring Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Steve Zahn, Cooper Hoffman, Willa Fitzgerald, Alessandro Nivola, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christine Dye, Liam Neeson, John E. Brownlee, Jan Falk, Demetrius T. Wheeler, and Nik Pajic.
SYNOPSIS:
Follows the life of writer Flannery O’Connor while she was struggling to publish her first novel.
While discussing an unfinished rough draft of a first novel with her publisher, Southern Gothic author Flannery O’Connor (Maya Hawke) challenges conventional storytelling norms. So, it’s only appropriate that Ethan Hawke’s direction (also co-writing alongside Shelby Gaines) for Wildcat is similarly unconventional, here incorporating adaptations of short stories (with Maya Hawke playing the protagonist) into an overarching narrative covering Flannery O’Connor coming to terms with a lupus diagnosis (an illness that would eventually take her life at the far-too-short age of 35), a fractured relationship with her horrifically and unashamedly racist mother Regina (Laura Linney, also playing several roles inside those anthology-like short stories), a spiritual crisis (complete with a glorified cameo from Liam Neeson as a priest offering wisdom about how to be a good Catholic), a friendship with a fellow writer (Philip Ettinger), and the nature of her writing itself.
The justification for breaking up the larger story with these adaptations comes from a Flannery O’Connor quote, exclaiming that writing fiction is not an escape from reality but rather a plunge into reality. As such, the side stories also serve as a darker riff or companion pieces to what is unfolding in the real world, or perhaps sometimes versions of Flannery O’Connor she wishes she was (such as when she pushes back against her mother’s obliviously dehumanizing racist behavior.) This also allows for some darkly absurdist humor, such as a waiting room for reincarnation where a racist woman is given two choices that offend her while making us laugh.
Unsurprisingly, this all makes for a unique, compelling angle to approach a biopic, even if the film falls into stretches of aimlessness. Much of Wildcat also comes accompanied by narration, which is an insight into Flannery O’Connor’s literature, prose, and philosophical musings. It’s also overwhelming to the point that even if a particular passage does resonate, whatever worked about it is usually drowned out by the sheer amount of seemingly endless voiceover material that not only keeps coming but also serves as a questionable distraction from the narrative and the stories within a story. Ultimately, it feels like the strongest contributing factor to that rambling vibe. The best way to watch Wildcat is probably to pause the movie every few minutes to allow Flannery O’Connor’s words to soak in, which sounds counterproductive to cinematic affairs, but here, it might help viewers actually get more out of it.
Still, those short stories (which are often bleak, with recognizable actors often showing up to take advantage of her disability, religious fervor, or kindness) are often more compelling to watch for the simple fact that when Wildcat is covering Flannery O’Connor’s real-life, it falls into the usual biopic trappings one will assume the Hawkes’ initially promised they would be avoiding. In many of these scenes, the performance from Maya Hawke is cranked up to melodramatic levels filled with crying and yelling, which doesn’t help given the unconvincing wig and makeup features.
Distracting from some of those shortcomings is Ethan Hawke’s ability to fill up the supporting cast with fresh and familiar, reliable faces. Even accounting for the more commonplace traditional biopic elements or aspects of Wildcat that don’t work (there is absolutely a conversation to be had about nepotism and vanity projects here), the structure of the project is refreshing, offering a window into how the art is pulled from the artist’s life experiences. It’s a compelling, formally creative primer on Flannery O’Connor and what kickstarted 15 years of writing in isolation, flawed but sometimes fascinating despite those gripes.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
