Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Bretten Hannam
Starring: Phillip Lewitski, Avery Winters-Anthony, Joshua Odjick, Michael Greyeyes
Adapted from a 2019 short of the same name, director
Bretten Hannam's Wildhood is one of several recent
North American indies that have aped the format of Wim Wenders'
Paris, Texas, road movies in which the protagonist is seeking out a specific
person, with whom they share an intense exchange in the climax. Like
Morissa Maltz's The Unknown Country, this is a story of a young protagonist seeking out their indigenous
roots, in this case Link (Phillip Lewitski), a two-spirit teen
who has been led to believe by his white father (Joel Thomas Hynes) that his Mi'kmaw mother Sarah (Savonna Spracklin) died when he
was young.
Link uncovers the ruse when he finds a birthday card from his mom
hidden away in a draw. In a fit of anger he sets fire to his father's
truck and flees into the night with his younger half-brother Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony).
Neither Link nor Travis have any clue where to begin searching for
Link's mother, but they're helped out by Pasmay (Joshua Odjick),
a Mi'kmaw teen travelling to a pow wow where he hopes to win a dancing
competition. Pasmay has some ideas about where to begin searching for
Sarah and so Link and Travis bundle into his truck and set off on a
voyage across the landscape of Eastern Canada.
That scenic setting provides one hell of a backdrop for
Wildhood, but Hannam is a little too in love with photographing his young
protagonists frolicking in lakes and against big open skies. After the
third of these Malickian montages it all becomes a bit wearisome.
Like most road movies, Wildhood's best moments are those encounters with various supporting characters
our heroes meet along the way. Michael Greyeyes adds some star
power as Pasmay's charismatic uncle, while a trip to a convenience store
leads to a charming scene in which a Mi'kmaw teen mercilessly ribs Link
for dying his hair blonde.
Wildhood's central focus is on the burgeoning romance between Pasmay, who seems
completely comfortable in his sexuality, and Link, who hides away his
homosexuality in similar fashion to his concealing of his Mi'kmaw
heritage. Through Pasmay, he begins to embrace both aspects of his
identity.
Hannam's film often devolves into road movie and queer cinema tropes
that we've seen all too often, but the unique setting and exploration of
dual identities adds an element of freshness. At close to two hours
however, it does threaten to grow a little stale in parts and its
Paris, Texas style payoff isn't quite as sharp and
incisive as it might have been.
