Film Overview
“The Wolf and the Lion” is a family movie released in 2021, which blends adventure with elements of friendship. The movie is a joint effort of French and Canadian filmmakers directed by Gilles de Maistre and co-written with Prune de Maistre. He is known for including real animals in their natural settings in his works. He directed Mia and the White Lion and now returns to the theme of friendship between species and the bonds of human beings and animals.
The movie narrates the story of an orphaned wolf cub and a lion cub, filmed in the Canadian wilderness and featuring real animals, not CGI. Alma, a young woman, takes care of them. The film is visually magnificent and narratively soft. It deals with the themes of nature versus human beings, empathy and cruelty, and co-existence alongside the human impact on the world.
The film runs for roughly 99 minutes, and in spite of the low budget, the film was a great financial success, earning almost 18.5 million dollars. The film was particularly well-received by children’s film festivals, winning Best Children’s Film at the Zurich Film Festival.
Plot Summary
We begin the story with Alma, a twenty-two-year-old pianist, who returns to a remote Canadian island to grieve the passing of her grandfather. Alma wanted to silently reflect on her life path, but instead comes across a dying airplane crash victim with the rare cargo of a lion cub on board. Simultaneously, a wild she-wolf escapes from hunters with her own cub to seek shelter at Alma’s cabin.
Alma’s encounter with two cubs makes her their caretaker and she named the lion Dreamer and the wolf Mozart. With time, the two siblings form a deep bond and live together harmoniously. However, the harmony is short-lived as wildlife researchers along with a circus trainer discover the now-juvenile lion cub and the lion cub’s presence. Mozart is sent to a wildlife facility and Dreamer is returned to the circus.
Mozart escapes confinement when he discovers Dreamer is missing, and sets off on a journey to rescue her. Once the two are together again, they are assisted by Alma and her godfather, Joe, on a cross-country trip that aims to deliver the two cubs back to their wilderness homeland. Alongside them is Raphaël, the circus owner’s son, who is sympathetic toward the animals, and together the group’s bonds are tested by numerous challenges.
Alma is shown to celebrate by giving a concert outdoors, watched by the wolf and lion who’ve now grown and regained their freedom. This marks their return to the wild, which serves as the stamp of the film’s strongest theme: that the wild is where the animals can freely live alongside companions.
Main Cast
Molly Kunz as Alma: A soft-spoken yet strong character who plays a young, orphaned pianist and the moral center of the story. Her music serves to comfort and expresses deep compassion.
Graham Greene as Joe: Alma’s godfather, and a wise elder figure that also guides her. He is a bridge between contemporary life and deep respect for nature and elder ways.
Charlie Carrick as Eli: A wildlife officer grapples with scientific obligation and ethical dilemmas associated with captivity.
Rhys Slack as Raphaël: The very young son of the circus owner who aids Alma and the animals in demonstrating compassion instead of obedience.
Evan Buliung as Allan: The dominant male of the circus who treats animals as commodities marking the height of exploitation and control.
Key Ideas
- The Strength of an Unexpected Relationship
The most powerful bond in the film features Mozart the wolf and Dreamer the lion. Their relationship is expressively nonverbal. They are raised together from infancy and transcend instinct in favor of symbolizing unity and trust among different species.
- The Problems People Create for Themselves and Others
Well-intentioned human constructs like wildlife management, science, or entertainment, as seen with Alma, love and respects the animals, and, in doing so, directly opposes the socially accepted norm of control.
- Animal Welfare and Captivity
This film opposes the use of wild animals in circuses and artificial enclosures. We see Dreamer enduring what can only be described as a degrading experience as he spends his time in a circus. On the other hand, Mozart’s ‘placement’ in a wildlife sanctuary proves that even scientifically motivated environments can be confined, and thus, deny the freedom to animals.
- Nature as Sanctuary
The cinematography showcases breathtaking lakes, mountains, and woodland meadows that evoke the idea of nature as a sanctuary from life in cities. It acts as a testament to untouched places where animals and humans exist in harmony, living and disabling.
Cinematic Style and Direction
Cinematic style of the film is based on the use of lighting, and a realistic setting. Director Gilles de Maistre suggested the use of real animals in nature; therefore the film became dependent on the animals’ development and behavior. Reportedly, the script was adapted several times to reflect the animals’ behavior and bonding.
This film’s use of animals is authentic and rare. Every second of the interaction—bonding, play, or even fear—between Mozart and Dreamer seems real. The score, alongside Alma’s piano, enriches the storytelling and evokes deeper emotions, serving as a wonderful complement to the unfolding narrative.
Reception
The film has received mixed reviews. While viewers, especially families, found the film visually captivating and heartwarming, critics were bothered by the lack of development of the human characters and dialogue. The film’s plot was criticized by some reviewers for being too simplistic and manipulative, particularly in its portrayal of the animals’ separation and reunification.
Despite the criticism, the film’s portrayal of the animals and the emotional depth of their relationships received great acclaim, particularly in Europe and among festival audiences. The film won the Kids Jury Award at the Zurich Film Festival and was featured in multiple family film showcases around the globe.
Box Office & Release
The Wolf and the Lion grossed nearly $18.5 million due to strong European attendance and home viewing. While its modest earnings were to be expected because of the movie’s limited theater release due to the global pandemic, the movie did succeed to some extent. Its release strategy focusing on the family and the school markets helped elevate streaming and home viewing numbers.
Conclusion
The film poignantly underscores the importance of the balance of nature and the value of coexistence. By using real-life animal stars and lavish cinematography, The Wolf and the Lion conveys this message adeptly.
The film’s simplicity and predictability, especially with the narrative and character development, will hinder its appeal to adults, but the film has great power and value as a family movie. It can act as a gentle reminder to children, and especially animal lovers, of the wonders of nature and the bonds between living beings, and how these bonds transcend species.
While most movies these days depend on the excess of visual effects and overly dramatized displays of emotion, The Wolf and the Lion dares to do the opposite. Emphasizing the love that exists between living beings, the movie stunningly portrays the simplicity and purity of nature.
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