Wildcat
By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Cursing, drinking, gun use in abstract tale of 1950s author.
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Wildcat
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What's the Story?
In WILDCAT, viewers meet author Flannery O'Connor (Maya Hawke) in 1950 in New York City as she struggles to complete her first novel, Wise Blood. She forms a connection with a professor, Cal Lowell (Philip Ettinger), but finds that she doesn't fit in with academic social circles. Later, she's diagnosed with lupus and goes back home to Georgia to live with her mother (Laura Linney). As she works on the novel, O'Connor finishes several short stories. (These are performed in little vignettes by the same actors in different roles.) Through it all, she wrestles mightily with the meaning of what she's doing. What does it mean to write? And, through writing, can she achieve grace?
Is It Any Good?
Largely nonlinear, this fine depiction of a great author avoids typical biopic trappings, instead concentrating on the rhythms of the artistic process and capturing O'Connor's voice in a visual way. Directed by Ethan Hawke (father of star Maya Hawke), Wildcat doesn't do much to introduce O'Connor to viewers who aren't already familiar with her. In other words, it doesn't deal with ordinary biographical details: how she published her first story, etc. Instead, it zeroes in on her two most important relationships, those with professor Cal and her mother, and on the period in which she worked to finish her first novel (which also coincided with her lupus diagnosis).
Ethan Hawke seems most interested in how O'Connor's brain works, observing her in conversation, both with other literary thinkers and with her family, and especially—in a powerful sequence—speaking with a priest (a great Liam Neeson). Perhaps being an author himself and having published several novels, Hawke is more intimate with the creative process. When Flannery writes, the stories come to life on the screen, sometimes slyly, unexpectedly, with Hawke and Linney playing the characters in them. Through these mini-movies, we get even more of an idea of O'Connor's voice, her concerns, and her prose. (The movie also opens with a fun trailer for a fictional black-and-white movie adapted from one of O'Connor's stories.) Wildcat isn't a straightforward movie, and it may be more challenging than most biopics, but its admirable achievement is that it depicts who O'Connor was rather than merely what she did.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Wildcat's depiction of drinking and smoking. Is substance use glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
Do you consider Flannery a role model? Why, or why not?
How is sex depicted? Is there consent? What values are suggested?
Do you think the movie gives viewers a good idea of the writing process? Did it make you want to write?
What did you learn about Flannery O'Connor? Does the movie make you want to learn more? Does it make you want to read her work?
Movie Details
- In theaters: May 3, 2024
- On DVD or streaming: June 12, 2024
- Cast: Maya Hawke , Laura Linney , Philip Ettinger
- Director: Ethan Hawke
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 108 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: July 22, 2024
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