Apparently, animals attract adverse anxiety among anyone unaware of anomalies atypical of average social habits and attitudes.

Written and directed by Riley Cusick, The Wild Man is a competently shot, artistic slice-of-life character-driven story that moves at a slow-burn pace. It’s shot using close-ups to make moments between people more personal. Rather than quick editing cuts, he used tracking shots to pan around to show reactions to things being said. Long takes also help make conversations feel natural. Some conversations are filmed in wider shots at a distance to make you feel like you’re just watching people talk without distractions from sloppy editing.

Scott (Riley Cusick) chases someone in a bear costume around town exclaiming he just had a nightmare and he needs to come back home. It turns out to be his father, who’s mentally deteriorating and is happier in the costume. Scott and his uncle Walter (Larry Fessenden) look for a new place for his dad to live, but things escalate as people’s lives grow and complicate.

Riley Cusick is likable as Scott, a character with positive attributes and flaws. His motivation is clear because he puts his father’s mental health above everything, including his personal health. His love and devotion are what drive him. Cusick is very good at showing both susceptibility and strength. His relationship with his father is tumultuous. He deals with the stress the best he can to provide him with a comfortable life. I was fully invested in his performance.

Larry Fessenden does well at capturing the frustration of trying to help a family member with mental illness. He deals with it his way, providing a satisfactory story arc about redemption and self-worth. Jenna Kanell, a single mother doing her best to survive, has a gravity to her performance that gives emotional weight to her dialogue.

Overall, in a world full of sequels and remakes, it’s nice to have an original story not based on a well-established franchise. The Wild Man severely lacks in horror elements, but it makes up for it by balancing funny and poignant moments well. There’s a running gag about what animal the costume is supposed to be that’s hysterical. It broaches themes of mental health, family, determination, redemption, and self-respect.

I can see how The Wild Man could appeal to people, but it’s not for everyone. It’s left open to interpretation, but has enough of a cohesive narrative provided for the audience’s deductive reasoning to determine logical inferences. It’s reminiscent of After Midnight and Come to Daddy, so I recommend this if you liked those. And remember, family is a bear necessity of life no matter how grizzly the circumstances.

7 out of 10