#TIFF23: “WILDCAT” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Ethan Hawke returns to the Director’s chair to explore the life and art of American Author Flannery O’Connor, who’s stunningly portrayed by his own daughter Maya Hawke.

Hawke and Co-Writer Shelby Gaines’s Script focuses on O’Connor’s life when she left New York City in 1950 and returned home to live with her mother Regina (a dazzling Laura Linney). It was here that she was diagnosed with lupus. At the time, getting this diagnosis felt like a death sentence. And that’s how O’Connor took it. Thus, she believed her time was limited to making the lasting mark she desired. Maya Hawke captivates as the Author grapples with her identity and her artistry.

Just like Hawke’s prior directorial ventures, Wildcat examines the artist’s way. He achieves this by blending O’Connor’s life with visual tellings of her short stories. He places her mother and those parts of her real life in the visual recreations of her stories. This creates the connection between life and art that O’Connor always claimed.

A highlight of Wildcat is the examination of the relationship O’Connor has with her faith. The Screenwriters spend significant time connecting the Author’s religion with the harsh judgement she places on herself for her dark imagination. The Filmmakers imply that this judgement halted the young author’s career early on. As the ending comes, O’Connor finally accepts her imagination for what it is and separates it from her relationship with God. She went on to become one of the most prominent writers of her generation.

Wildcat screens at TIFF ’23:

Monday, September 11 at 8:45 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Wednesday, September 13 at 7:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 16 at 11:30 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto