Claire Dickson

I recently attended a press-release of Wild Men at Queen’s Film Theatre, having no preconception of the darkly comedic, satirical screenplay I was about to witness. With its focus on a man aiming to escape the family life which has begun to define him, the film depicts Martin escaping to live in the Norwegian mountains (crossing from Denmark in the process!). The film sets out to explore how idealistic visions rarely translate into reality, as shown when he winds up bargaining for discounts in a supermarket and eating a frog due to a lack of resources.

Near the beginning of the film, Martin stumbles across a mysterious individual named Musa, who has supposedly come to the forest to hike. It is the marrying of these two personalities that I believe gives the film its name; Wild Men. The rugged edges of Martin’s character seeking refuge in the hills are coupled with Musa’s reality being drug-smuggling, on the run with a bag of cash. The story is told through the lens of these two characters. One is using the hills as a distraction from grief whilst the other is loath to do anything which poses too much of a risk due to his family. In this sense, masculinity is not displayed as being toxic but rather as varied and fragmented.

Despite the child-like way in which Martin is presented, I don’t believe it was the intention of the writer to portray him as unlikeable or petulant, as one comes to feel a sense of sympathy for him due to his lack of direction in life. To further this, an emotional phone call he makes to his daughters implores the audience to feel that he has good intentions and is at a point of desperation rather than a solely rash decision-maker. For example, he directs Musa to walk past the same place twice in trying to establish how to find a village they are both in search of.

The writer further emphasises how idealism does not equate to reality when Musa informs Martin that there is a village nearby wherein everyone lives like Martin does. But Martin is brought back to earth with a bump when he realises that the candid, natural way they claim to be living off the land is eclipsed by credit card machines as it is all a mere money-making scheme aimed at tourists.

Aside from the emotional side of the film, it can also be defined as fast-moving and action-packed as Martin and Musa end up on the run from the police near the end of the film, and violence ensues when they come into contact with Musa’s band of fellow criminals. Without doubt, this is a film to stimulate the imagination whilst serving comedic genius on the side.

Claire Dickson is a Culture Reporter at The Scoop and a Politics student at Queen’s University Belfast

Review: Wild Men at QFT