Review: Paul Dano's 2008 'Wildlife' is a Compelling Examination of Mothers and Sons

The powerful final shot of "Wildlife," the 2018 directorial debut of Paul Dano, features a father, mother and son broken apart by pride. In the 100 minutes that precede this, we witness the deterioration slowly eat away at the illusion of the happy American family. It's 1960 in Great Falls, Montana, and when patriarch Jerry Brinson (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses his job, he decides to take a low-paying gig as a forest firefighter, leaving his wife Jeannette (Carey Mulligan) and son Joe (Ed Oxenbould) left to fend for themselves.

Much of this film is seen through Joe's eyes, often not showing us things directly and instead letting Oxenbould's face tell the entire story. We witness his struggle as he deals with not only his father's absence, but the behavior of his mother following this abrupt abandonment. Mulligan gives a powerful, nuanced performance here as a woman at a crossroads, both professionally and romantically, and Jeanette's arc parallels nicely with Joe's. As we witness their relationship ebb and flow in the midst of Jerry's absence, "Wildlife" carefully zeroes in on the subtleties of their bond. The film begins as a father/son story, but evolves quite nicely into an examination of mothers and sons.

Dano, known for his excellent performances in films like "There Will Be Blood" and "Little Miss Sunshine," delivers an admirable debut here behind the camera. He has a keen eye for capturing the look of a 1960 household, and his character work is superb (Dano co-wrote the script with Zoe Kazan, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Ford).

It's an interesting addition to The Criterion Collection, but it's easy to see why "Wildlife" could be revered by many. Bonus material on this special Blu-ray release include new interviews with Dano, Kazan, Mulligan and Gyllenhaal, as well as cinematographer Diego Garcia, production designer Akin McKenzie, and costumer designer Amanda Ford. Additional features include:

� New conversation on the film's postproduction with Dano, editor Matthew Hannam, and composer David Lang
� Film at Lincoln Center conversation from 2018 between Dano and novelist Richard Ford about the film's source material
� An essay by critic Mark Harris

"Wildlife"
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray
$27.96
www.criterion.com/films/29644-wildlife