It is not uncommon for prominent actors to explore other roles in the film industry. Plenty of actors have tried their hand at behind the camera work with varying results. On the god tier end of the spectrum you have Ben Affleck and Jordan Peele, performers who seem to excel in their craftsmanship of bringing the stories in their head to life on the big screen. Then there are others (and more recent) like Chris Pine and Ethan Hawke, who dip their toe in the directorial waters and don’t quite reach the critical acclaim and film history canon heights as others.
“Wildcat” falls into the latter category, the kind of actor turned director attempt that isn’t quite ready to make the leap from either end of the camera. That’s not to say that Hawke doesn’t have a knack for camera movement or visual storytelling, just that he hasn’t quite learned the balance between passion arthouse and cohesive filmmaking. “Wildcat” is more of a collection of vignettes than a complete feature film, one that relies heavily on a vast knowledge of its subject matter before it ever begins to be interesting and fails to send an invitation to those that didn’t do their homework.
Written and Directed by Ethan Hawke with co-writer Shelby Gaines, “Wildcat” attempts to tell the story of famed novelist Flannery O’Connor trying to publish her first novel. Constantly shifting between real life events and short stories, the film attempts to wrestle with all of her themes and religious undertones in her work through her actual life, shifting between reality and fiction as it retells both her struggles and the things the influenced her short stories. The lines blur as the film constantly takes us in and out of her journey as she tries to make it, thrusting into short story after short story with each monumental event as O’Connor ponders her mortality, her religion, and her ideals instilled from her complicated upbringing. The film stars Ethan and Uma Thurman‘s daughter Maya Hawke (“Stranger Things“), Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Vincent D’Onofrio, Alessandro Nivola, Steve Zahn, and Levon Hawke.
Yes, that’s 3 Hawkes in one film.
Both Ethan and Maya Hawke are on full display here in “Wildcat,” and some of that is terrific and some of it is muddled at best. On the daughter side, Maya once again demonstrates why she is one of the most talented performers working today. Regardless of subject matter, Maya is mesmerizing, chewing through scenery and poetic dialogue with ease. She perfectly understood the assignment even if the audience doesn’t and seems to be wholly invested in her father’s vision. She is unafraid to take risks and immerse herself in even the most complex of characters, trusting her counterparts onscreen as well as her creators at the helm. Never once in “Wildcat” do you get the sense that she is riding the coattails of her famous father. Sure, there’s some strangeness with a father directing his daughter in a pretty bizarre film, but Maya proves she’s up to the task to prove that she is the right person for the role and not just riding the merits of her famous parents. She’s got the juice, and while not everything in “Wildcat” works, the one thing that does is her performance and excellent range.
Linney is also a powerhouse, sometimes entering into that overacting sphere of character performers but always reminding us why she’s the best part of anything she’s chooses to be in. “Wildcat” gives the most screen time to both Linney and Maya, so most of its success rests solely on their shoulders as the material doesn’t quite do enough to help them. Ethan behind the camera shows great promise, but “Wildcat” feels like a passion project instead of disguising its catalyst for being made. Ethan is clearly enamored by O’Connor’s work and desperately wants to convey that adoration to a broader audience. Unfortunately, he isn’t skilled enough to taper his lesser instincts and spills his own wax poetic love affair with short stories of an author he fell in love with one summer but doesn’t quite know how to get everyone on his same level of admiration. This is a common fault with actors turned directors; they fail to communicate the things they love when they are unable to do it themselves.
“Wildcat” blurs the line a little too much, shifting aimlessly between the life and times of the author and the work Ethan wants so desperately to highlight. What transpires is a series of disconnected vignettes, a pinnacle display of arthouse prose inaccessible to anyone not familiar with the subject. If you’ve never read a Flannery O’Connor novel or short story or have never cared to examine her point of view, then “Wildcat” makes no sense whatsoever. It is a “film” that requires an immense amount of homework and foreknowledge, predicated on the assumption that you love her work and life as much as Ethan does. If you don’t (and frankly seldom could or would be) then “Wildcat” is a slog and extremely hard to grasp, keeping nearly everything at arms lengths for viewers not as interested as the creator seems to be. It’s a meditative work from someone with deep familiarity, and simply can’t translate that to a broader audience who didn’t read O’Connor in college.
Literary prose exists in its medium for a reason, and “Wildcat” forgets itself as a transference of one expression to the other. It fails to translate that prose into a consumable thematic experience, leaving most viewers scratching their heads wondering what the hell they’re watching. This gap in communication is unfortunate, because Ethan Hawke actually shows some strong promise as a filmmaker. And of course, Maya Hawke is stellar, and the whole cast seems to have understood the assignment even if viewers don’t quite get it. My hope is that “Wildcat” is a learning experience rather than a panned failure, because I would actually watch a more contained, linear narrative from the family.
“Wildcat” is a decent first attempt but ultimately can’t overcome its strange dialogue and inaccessible storytelling. Maybe next time we pick a less complicated author to adapt and just make something a little more simple for the simple minds.
Also, Jesus Christ says the “n” word in this film, so maybe start clutching your pearls now.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
“Wildcat” is in select theaters May 17th. You can watch the trailer below.
