There are lovely performances in this teen drama tackling dysphoria, that a kid wrestling with their identity will treasure
Broken into arch chapter headings that are introduced with intricate, stylised illustrations like something out of a book of fairytales for Gen Z and millennial misfits, this fey, magical realism fable is an interesting mixture of winning charm, smug knowingness and vulnerability. The screenwriter (Olivia Dufault), one of the young co-stars (Sophia Grace Gianni from Transparent) and the character she plays are all transgender, and the film is at its best when it is working through issues around dysphoria through the lens of allegory.
That feeling of not being at ease in your own body is at the heart of this story about a 13-year-old named Paul who has a condition that causes him to grow lustrous golden-red fur all over his body, including his face. Teased by peers at school,...
Broken into arch chapter headings that are introduced with intricate, stylised illustrations like something out of a book of fairytales for Gen Z and millennial misfits, this fey, magical realism fable is an interesting mixture of winning charm, smug knowingness and vulnerability. The screenwriter (Olivia Dufault), one of the young co-stars (Sophia Grace Gianni from Transparent) and the character she plays are all transgender, and the film is at its best when it is working through issues around dysphoria through the lens of allegory.
That feeling of not being at ease in your own body is at the heart of this story about a 13-year-old named Paul who has a condition that causes him to grow lustrous golden-red fur all over his body, including his face. Teased by peers at school,...
- 3/12/2021
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
The past decade has seen a massive shift in representation for LGBTQ characters and stories in Hollywood. Gone are the days — and good riddance — when you could count on one hand the number of queer movies or TV shows. These days, it would be unusual for a TV show not not have a queer character, or for a major indie studio to not release at least one queer film. It wasn’t so long ago that LGBTQ viewers had no choice but to rally around “Will & Grace” or “The L Word,” clinging to the few shreds of representation we had. Nowadays, LGBTQ characters abound across genre, studio size, or type of project, with only major blockbusters lagging behind..
But with such an embarrassment of riches, it’s important to single out the projects truly get it. We’re finally approaching a point where queer audiences can afford to be choosy,...
But with such an embarrassment of riches, it’s important to single out the projects truly get it. We’re finally approaching a point where queer audiences can afford to be choosy,...
- 12/21/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
“The True Adventures of Wolfboy” follows a young boy named Paul (Jaeden Martell) who has Hypertrichosis, a rare condition causing excessive hair growth on the face that’s sometimes called “werewolf syndrome.” On his 13th birthday, Paul receives a note from his estranged mother after a fight with his well-meaning dad (Chris Messina), and sets off to find her. In his epic journey, he encounters a nefarious carnival master (John Turturro), a pink-haired modern-day pirate (Eve Hewson), and a wise-beyond-her-years trans girl who practically glows from the power of unabashed self love.
Radiating an otherworldly confidence, Aristiana (Sophie Giannamore) is the most important character in Paul’s journey to self-acceptance. She is the rare example of a young trans character standing fully in her power, whose arc is as far from the transition narrative as Paul is from home. While “Wolfboy” will surely resonate with anyone who has ever felt different or out of place,...
Radiating an otherworldly confidence, Aristiana (Sophie Giannamore) is the most important character in Paul’s journey to self-acceptance. She is the rare example of a young trans character standing fully in her power, whose arc is as far from the transition narrative as Paul is from home. While “Wolfboy” will surely resonate with anyone who has ever felt different or out of place,...
- 11/6/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
This weekend is Halloween and Focus Features is delivering some scares with the Jacob Chase-directed horror Come Play, which opens in theaters starting today.
Come Play is based on Chase’s 2017 short film Larry. The feature version which is dubbed as “a terrifying new vision in horror” follows Oliver (newcomer Azhy Robertson), a lonely young boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.
The horror film was set to open in theaters on July 24, but like all movies, the release date shifted due to the pandemic. However, to release the movie on Halloween weekend seems more appropriate. Sony...
Come Play is based on Chase’s 2017 short film Larry. The feature version which is dubbed as “a terrifying new vision in horror” follows Oliver (newcomer Azhy Robertson), a lonely young boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.
The horror film was set to open in theaters on July 24, but like all movies, the release date shifted due to the pandemic. However, to release the movie on Halloween weekend seems more appropriate. Sony...
- 10/30/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Martin Krejcí’s first feature has the fairy-tale surrealism and penchant for oddball outsiders that distinguished Burton’s work, as well as a similar lighthearted quirkiness that balances the undercurrents of gothic dread. Above all, “Wolfboy” suggests “Scissorhands” for the way it grounds an outlandish figure in credible emotional stakes, making the case for a sincere coming-of-age drama along the way.
The “Wolfboy” in question is Paul (a sullen Jaeden Martell), a reclusive 13-year-old who suffers from a condition that causes fur to cover every inch of his face, for mysterious reasons only revealed in the closing act. The movie, written by trans playwright Olivia Dufault, immediately opens itself to complex readings about the nature of an adolescent coming to terms with his true identity: Sulking through a traveling carnival on his birthday, with his encouraging single father (Chris Messina) by his side, Paul refuses to take his mask off — and when he does,...
The “Wolfboy” in question is Paul (a sullen Jaeden Martell), a reclusive 13-year-old who suffers from a condition that causes fur to cover every inch of his face, for mysterious reasons only revealed in the closing act. The movie, written by trans playwright Olivia Dufault, immediately opens itself to complex readings about the nature of an adolescent coming to terms with his true identity: Sulking through a traveling carnival on his birthday, with his encouraging single father (Chris Messina) by his side, Paul refuses to take his mask off — and when he does,...
- 10/29/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In her review last year, Heather Wixson wrote that The True Adventures of Wolfboy is a "...captivating and heartfelt tale..." with "...some Pinocchio by the way of Stephen King vibes..." Soon you'll be able to experience the film for yourself, as The True Adventures of Wolfboy will be released on VOD and Digital on October 30th via Vertical Entertainment, and the official trailer has been revealed ahead of its release.
Directed by Martin Krejcí from a screenplay by Olivia Dufault, The True Adventures of Wolfboy stars Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Michelle Wilson, Stephan McKinley Henderson, Sophie Giannamore, Chloë Sevigny, and John Turturro.
You can check out the new trailer below, and in case you missed it, read Heather's Fantastic Fest interview with Krejcí.
Synopsis: "Paul lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has...
Directed by Martin Krejcí from a screenplay by Olivia Dufault, The True Adventures of Wolfboy stars Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Michelle Wilson, Stephan McKinley Henderson, Sophie Giannamore, Chloë Sevigny, and John Turturro.
You can check out the new trailer below, and in case you missed it, read Heather's Fantastic Fest interview with Krejcí.
Synopsis: "Paul lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has...
- 9/30/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Vertical Entertainment has brokered a deal for the North American distribution rights to The True Adventures of Wolfboy, starring Knives Out and It actor Jaeden Martell (formerly credited as Jaeden Lieberher), Sophie Giannamore (The L Word Generation Q), Chris Messina (Away We Go), Eve Hewson (Bridge of Spies), and John Turturro (The Night Of). Czech-born filmmaker and first-time feature helmer Martin Krejci directed the pic, which will be released on-demand and digital release on Oct. 30.
Written by Olivia Dufault, the drama follows Paul (Martell) who lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has known as congenital hypertrichosis – an affliction that causes an abnormal amount of hair growth all over his face and body. On his 13th birthday, Paul receives a mysterious gift that compels him to run away and seek out the mother he has never known.
Written by Olivia Dufault, the drama follows Paul (Martell) who lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has known as congenital hypertrichosis – an affliction that causes an abnormal amount of hair growth all over his face and body. On his 13th birthday, Paul receives a mysterious gift that compels him to run away and seek out the mother he has never known.
- 9/24/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Denny (Chris Messina) tells his teenage son Paul (Jaeden Martell) to stand tall with dignity and never run away. Meant as inspiration with a sympathetic heart, these words fall flat because he’s trying to solve the wrong problem—his inability to truly understand Paul’s uniquely personal perspective leading him astray. Denny wants to believe the knit mask covering his boy’s face is a means to hide from the world because his goal is to protect his child from the terrible things ignorant people say and think. Reality proves more complicated, though, since that outside noise is never as potent as what’s festering inside. Paul can’t be forced into feeling empowered over strangers if he’s yet to conquer his own self-hate. And that struggle can only be fought on his terms.
Writer Olivia Dufault and director Martin Krejcí must therefore put him on a path...
Writer Olivia Dufault and director Martin Krejcí must therefore put him on a path...
- 10/14/2019
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
One of this writer’s favorite films out of the 2019 Fantastic Fest lineup was Martin Krejcí’s The True Adventures of Wolfboy, which is centered around a teenager named Paul (played by It Chapter One and Two’s Jaeden Martell), who has been bullied his whole life due to his resemblance to a werewolf and sets out on an adventure in search of his identity and meets a few colorful characters along the way.
While in Austin, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Krejcí, and he discussed what initially attracted him to the film’s script, which was written by Olivia Dufault, collaborating with Martell, and how Legacy Effects was instrumental in making sure the titular character looked perfect for The True Adventures of Wolfboy.
I really loved this movie, Martin, and the way you framed out these different parts of the film really added to this classic...
While in Austin, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Krejcí, and he discussed what initially attracted him to the film’s script, which was written by Olivia Dufault, collaborating with Martell, and how Legacy Effects was instrumental in making sure the titular character looked perfect for The True Adventures of Wolfboy.
I really loved this movie, Martin, and the way you framed out these different parts of the film really added to this classic...
- 9/25/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Most teenage boys would kill for a few whiskers, but not Paul. At 13, he already has a full face of hair, and his peers treat him like a freak for it. So, too, does Martin Krejčí’s “The True Adventures of Wolfboy,” although the movie argues that perhaps being a freak isn’t such a bad thing. You just have to learn to ignore what other people think and embrace your inner other.
That’s an evergreen theme among Ya movies — where bullies serve as bad guys, but lack of self-acceptance is the real obstacle to be overcome — and a useful lesson in such sensitive times. But is “Wolfboy” unique enough to make an impact? Working from a screenplay by playwright Olivia Dufault, Krejcí conjures a vision of Middle America in which magic and myth seem to exist alongside his characters, amplifying the interior struggle of his young protagonist, played by “It” star Jaeden Martell,...
That’s an evergreen theme among Ya movies — where bullies serve as bad guys, but lack of self-acceptance is the real obstacle to be overcome — and a useful lesson in such sensitive times. But is “Wolfboy” unique enough to make an impact? Working from a screenplay by playwright Olivia Dufault, Krejcí conjures a vision of Middle America in which magic and myth seem to exist alongside his characters, amplifying the interior struggle of his young protagonist, played by “It” star Jaeden Martell,...
- 7/18/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Ron Hogan Aug 1, 2017
The mysterious men in white suits get some screen time in the latest entertaining episode of Preacher season 2...
This review contains spoilers.
See related American Horror Story renewed for seasons 8 and 9 American Horror Story: Roanoke might be its best season yet American Horror Story season 6: Roanoke Chapter 10 Ryan Murphy: celebrating a showrunner who never holds back
2.7 Pig
What does a floating pig have to do with the end of the world? Well, if you believe the servants of The Grail, it's a legitimate threat that has to be eliminated, because a floating pig might stand between the Grail and their control of the bloodline of Jesus Christ. Seriously. The Grail takes all threats seriously, and has a special unit dedicated to eliminating any and all possible distractions from their mission. Herr Starr is a specialist at eliminating those distractions, usually via murder.
While Jesse is still looking for the Grail,...
The mysterious men in white suits get some screen time in the latest entertaining episode of Preacher season 2...
This review contains spoilers.
See related American Horror Story renewed for seasons 8 and 9 American Horror Story: Roanoke might be its best season yet American Horror Story season 6: Roanoke Chapter 10 Ryan Murphy: celebrating a showrunner who never holds back
2.7 Pig
What does a floating pig have to do with the end of the world? Well, if you believe the servants of The Grail, it's a legitimate threat that has to be eliminated, because a floating pig might stand between the Grail and their control of the bloodline of Jesus Christ. Seriously. The Grail takes all threats seriously, and has a special unit dedicated to eliminating any and all possible distractions from their mission. Herr Starr is a specialist at eliminating those distractions, usually via murder.
While Jesse is still looking for the Grail,...
- 8/1/2017
- Den of Geek
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