Year of Release: 2019
Director: Alistair Banks Griffin
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jennifer Ehle, Emory Cohen, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jeremy Bobb, Brennan Brown
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
"The Wolf Hour" is Alistair Banks Griffin's sophomore directorial effort, and was developed within the Sundance Lab, and eventually premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. The narrative takes place in 1977, during the "Summer of Sam" occurrences, and focuses on the life of former celebrated author June Leigh. She now lives in her late grandmother's apartment in South Bronx, and never goes out as she lives with anxiety and agoraphobia. She mostly spends her days smoking and peeking through the blinds on what's happening outside. She eventually gets a visit from her friend Margot, whom she was asking for some money from, and who eventually comes for a visit and is shocked to see how June is doing and the conditions she's living (almost like a hoarder). June is also constantly terrified by someone who keeps buzzing her door, who makes some unintelligible noises, something that eventually forces her to report the case to the police. When June tries to get some additional money from her publisher's, her agent lets her know she still owes them a book from an advancement she got years ago. She eventually decides to procure for an escort, as she's been alone for so long, and that sets in motion a series of different occurrences for her.
One of the big issues with "The Wolf Hour" lies with the fact that it doesn't really know what it wants to be, both in terms of tone and also in terms of the actual storytelling that is presenting. The film starts really strongly, by illustrating the reality in which June lives quite vividly. The fact that she's agoraphobic, and lives in a rather deplorable situation is immediately established. However, the narrative doesn't solely go in the direction of allowing us to understand why June is an isolated individual, dealing with some trauma. It also attempts to tie that thread, with a completely different one, one that consists of a nod to a Brian De Palma type of thriller, with the inclusion of an anonymous buzzer. While these two threads could perfectly coexist with the potential for a meaningful disclosure that would occur during the narrative, nothing ever really materializes. June's character, who is center stage during this feature, is surprisingly one-note, particularly considering she's a well known author. She hardly demonstrates any sense of humor, ambition or even any sort of interest in anything. That only changes a bit with the introduction of the escort, however even that is an all too brief episode. It's one of those films where the script is undercooked, goes absolutely nowhere, and fails to even bring something uniquely different about the characters that focuses on. Naomi Watts who is always a terrifically compelling presence, tries her best to bring June to life, and in her capable hands, the character feels real, isolated, and fearful. She gets some apt support from the wonderful Jennifer Ehle, and the underrated Emory Cohen, but for all their effort there isn't much they can do with the material. The production team is effective, including Khalid Mohtaseb's cinematography and Kaet McAnneny's production design. It's not an absolute waste of time, but it could have been a much better vehicle for all these talented thespians.
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