Wildhood is a delicate yet uplifting romantic drama concerning love and self-actualisation within the indigenous community.
★★★★✰
The voices of Indigenous peoples of America and Canada are often shockingly underrepresented in your average mainstream production. It is a further rare occurrence where a two-spirit relationship is depicted prominently in a film. This concept is a term used to illustrate an individual’s spiritual or sexual identity and serves as the vital focal point in Wildhood.
In this Canadian drama, a disillusioned young man named Lincoln (Phillip Lewitski) lives with his abusive father (Joel Thomas Hynes) and younger half-brother Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony). One evening after discovering a suppressed revelation from his father, Lincoln escapes his brutal homelife with Travis and embarks on a journey of self-actualisation, on which they meet the young two-spirit, Pasmay (Joshua Odjick). Wildhood explores themes of nostalgia, identity and the reconnection of heritage.
From the initiation to the conclusion of the boys’ road trip across the Canadian plains, Lincoln comes across individuals that symbolise significant aspects of his journey. We are firstly introduced to his violent father who represses and gaslights his son, acting as a symbol of imperialism and preventing Lincoln from realising the authenticity of his own past. Contrastingly, Pasmay is positioned as the embodiment of freedom for Lincoln and the key towards emancipation from the cultural oppression of his true self. By having these characters act as components guiding this tale of self-discovery, it successfully establishes an immensely human story and one that will leave audiences strongly moved.
What benefits from this is the level of intimacy that develops throughout the progression of Lincoln’s coming-of-age arc and while he comes to terms with his own identity. The road trip further reinforces the poignancy of this story by epitomising a very literal metaphor for the hero’s journey. At the core, road films often centre around the idea of discovering your identity and sense of freedom, which Wildhood conveys beautifully. It articulates the underlying desire for liberty, to become an adult fully aware of himself, and to unravel his internalised sexuality.
Whilst Wildhood contains meaningful and strongly affecting elements, it never shies away from more wholesome and light-hearted moments. Lincoln’s younger half-brother, Travis, accompanies him after running away from home. Travis’ interactions with his older brother and Pasmay offers humour based on his innocent reactions to the events that transpire. They occasionally share quiet moments where carefree banter is demonstrated and playful exchanges are translated, stepping aside from the film’s heavier topics. It is in these smallest of moments that Wildhood excels in crafting a beautifully human story.
These various moments of cultural revelation and beauty are advanced by the superb performances from the leading actors. Phillip Lewitski as Lincoln, Joshua Odjick as Pasmay and Avery Winters-Anthony as Travis all transform into their roles with full confidence and dignity in order to transform this moving queer-centred examination. Everyone provides a unique facet to the table whether it is either comprehending trauma and complex heritage or exhibiting one’s own two-spirit identity to help in realising undiscovered qualities buried within.
Everyone succeeds in delivering three-dimensional interpretations of people encircled in a situation requiring tenderness and emotional fulfilment. If the story seeks drama or frivolous dialogues, the actors correspond more than appropriately to necessitate the sentiment essential for driving the plot forward. The performances never appear exaggerated or underplayed. Each actor works off naturally to the point where these characters never seem fictional, but much more like real people attempting to grasp their own marks in the world. Subtlety and an organic approach are the fundamentally important ingredients when presenting a sensitive LGBT+ story such as this. By constructing intricately distinct characters, especially those who classify into underrepresented groups, a narrative like Wildhood will really speak volumes for people experiencing a comparable situation as a source of inspiration and reassurance.
The Verdict
Wildhood is a deeply touching drama that observes a perspective in cinema that is very rarely touched upon. Through the expert blend of queer themes and a tale of self-discovery, the film provides a story with a lot of heart, passion, and compassion. It achieves in not solely supplying a sympathetic LGBT+ representation, but crucially in respecting the Indigenous community as well. With sympathy and sincerity, Wildhood delivers an experience that will resonate long after your first viewing.
Words by Ethan Soffe
This film screened as part of 2022’s BFI Flare Film Festival, find the rest of our coverage here
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