WONDERS OF THE WOLF is playing at SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival), and I had the opportunity to see an early look. Here’s my spoiler-free take:
For how wonderful wolves are, WONDERS OF THE WOLF feels pretty bland. It’s not the wolf’s fault within the film – it’s more the standard format of these short documentaries. It’s saddled with bland talking heads when the real leaders of the (wolf) pack are the wolves themselves.
With that said, it’s glorious to see the beauty of wolves in Yellowstone Park that director Angie Ruiz captured. In WONDERS OF THE WOLF, a person says, “It’s a wonder we see these wolves, and we don’t see more.” When Ruiz focuses on the wolves, it allows audiences to see more and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the magic of those majestic creatures.
Final Thought: WONDERS OF THE WOLF is the type of documentary short where the subject matter and glorious nature shots by cinematographer Warren Kommers outshine the overall feature. It’s informative, does its job, but sadly falls just short of becoming the ‘alpha’ of this genre.
WONDERS OF THE WOLF premieres at SBIFF on Wed 2/11 – 8:40 PM