Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: WILD MEN [Tribeca Film Festival 2021 -Virtual]
The aspect of expectation of what one thinks is the natural order is always belied by a sense of consequence. "Wild Men" [International Narrative Competition/World Premiere] starts off as one aspect but then differentiates itself in its final moments into another. The tone structure has promise but it, at times, veers off the beaten path. It is only in the final moments, because of a sense of stakes, that it comes closer to getting it right. This is because it is not trying to play up anything but just letting itself be. Rasmus Bjerg plays Martin, a man who is searching for himself in a way without realizing that he has what most people want. Everyone's journey is individual in this overall sense. The thriller aspect works its way through this point but there is lack of meaning of what caused the divide to happen. There are little poignant moments that just seem too beautiful, at times, when contrasting with other points in the movie. One is when Martin's wife is standing with her two daughters on the edge of the fjord after a bunny incident. It is a small moment but important. There is another one at one point between Martin and the sheriff played with beautiful subtlety by Bjørn Sundquist. It is heartbreaking in its simplicity and sets the stage for the later reckoning of sorts. The disappointment is that it is not there as the full package. But that said there are these brilliant moments of gentle existentialism that writer/director Thomas Daneskov finds. However a lot of the rest of it is played for uneven laughs (which is part of the point). But like a similar structured film: "Fargo", it is only a couple nudges away from something grand. The backdrop of Norway with underlying metaphors of nature and commercialism are not lost in translation nor is the irony of the past versus Viking lore and what that speaks to in terms of identity. "Wild Men" is an interesting try with some strong spikes but with a supporting structure that doesn't quite stand up to snuff (despite a textured final 10 minutes). B
By Tim Wassberg
