Wildlike

Mackenzie is fourteen. Her mother is in treatment and she is sent to Juneau, to her uncle. He receives her well. Then one night he comes into her room. Mackenzie runs. There is not much to run to in Alaska; leaving the town takes a plane or a boat and she has no money. At a hotel she sees a man with a pack. Rene is hiking alone and notices the girl has attached herself to him. He tries to send her back. She does not go. The two start walking together, and the uncle is behind them. Frank Hall Green writes and directs. Ella Purnell plays Mackenzie and Bruce Greenwood plays Rene; Brian Geraghty and Ann Dowd are in the cast. It is an American production. It was shot in Alaska and the wilderness scenes were made in real locations. The matter it treats is trust; the girl has to trust an adult again and the film builds that slowly. The narrative does not show the abuse; it is implied and the film concentrates on what follows. Rene is not built as a rescuer; he is carrying his own grief and does not want to look after anyone. The narrative joins the shape of the road film to a wilderness hike. Ella Purnell drew notice for the part. The ending gives no easy resolution and the girl's situation is not fully put right. Its limit is pace; the narrative is slow, there is little dialogue, and the ending quiet. Who it is for: viewers who like American independent drama and films set in wilderness. Who it is not for: it is slow, the subject heavy, and the ending unresolved.