Plot Summary

Wildlife is a quiet yet devastating coming-of-age drama that explores the emotional collapse of a seemingly ordinary American family in 1960s Montana.

Fourteen-year-old Joe lives with his stay-at-home mother Jeanette and his father Jerry, a professional golfer, in a small town near the Canadian border. When Jerry is suddenly fired from his job, the family’s fragile balance begins to unravel.

As a massive forest fire breaks out close to their home, Jerry—already stripped of purpose and dignity—volunteers to join the dangerous firefighting effort, leaving his wife and son behind. His departure forces Joe into an adult role far earlier than he is prepared for.

Left alone, Joe becomes a silent witness to his mother’s emotional deterioration and desperate attempts to survive abandonment. Caught between loyalty, confusion, and premature responsibility, he struggles to hold the family together while confronting the painful realities of adulthood.

Awarded Best Film at the Torino Film Festival, Wildlife stars acclaimed actors Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal in restrained yet deeply affecting performances. Directed with remarkable sensitivity by Paul Dano, the film offers an intimate portrait of loss, disillusionment, and the quiet violence of emotional neglect.