Wildlife

Wildlife is a 2018 American drama film directed and co-produced by Paul Dano, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Dano and Zoe Kazan, based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Richard Ford. It stars Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal (who also co-produced), Ed Oxenbould, and Bill Camp. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2018, and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 19, 2018. It received critical acclaim, with praise for Dano's direction and the performances of Mulligan, Gyllenhaal, and Oxenbould. It was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature and Best Female Lead for Mulligan. Plot In 1960, Jeannette and Jerry Brinson have recently moved to Great Falls, Montana, with their teenage son Joe. Tensions build after Jerry is fired from a job as a golf pro at a country club. He is offered his old job back but refuses out of pride, and instead of looking for work, he sleeps in his car and watches the local firefighting efforts against a forest fire raging in nearby mountains. To support the family as Jerry looks for a job, Jeannette takes a job as a swimming instructor (although she tries first to get a job teaching at school). Joe gives up football after school to work part-time at a local photography studio. One day, Jerry decides to take a low-paying job fighting the forest fire, which upsets Jeannette and worries Joe. Jeannette speaks openly about her strained marriage with Jerry to Joe, and the stress of the situation takes a minor toll on Joe's school life. While Jerry is away, Jeannette tells her son they may have to move to a smaller place as they cannot afford their small rented house. She introduces Joe to Warren Miller, a prosperous older man who owns an automobile dealership. She says she taught him to swim and he has offered her a job.