Wolfwalkers(2020)
dir. Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart
A hunter’s daughter betrays the occupation.
Where to watch: Apple TV (subscription).Letterboxd ↗
Robyn is an English hunter's daughter, sent with her father to clear the wolves from the forest outside Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1650. She meets Mebh, a girl who becomes a wolf when she sleeps, and finds out her side of the story is the wrong one. The Lord Protector's rule is coming for the forest and the town. Hand-drawn by Cartoon Saloon, it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Why it’s here
The film puts a colonial occupation and a war on the wild into a story a ten-year-old can follow. What's punk is that the hero betrays the side she was raised on, and the film makes that look brave. What's pedagogical is the setup: walls, rules and a man who says he's protecting the town, versus a forest that belongs to those who live in it. Its Irish folklore roots are specific and visible. It pairs with Say Nothing and The Wind That Shakes the Barley in this batch.
Where This Film Lives
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