Wildfire (2018)

It's a shame we haven't seen Paul Dano behind the camera more often, although I guess it's early days. Wildlife, his first foray into direction, boasts an exceptional performance from Carey Mulligan whose son (a brilliant Ed Oxenbould) has to deal with her complicated response to her husband (an always great Jake Gyllenhaal) taking a job away fighting wildfire, and, one could argue abandoning them. What Dano does so well is to allow the film to slowly reveal who it is actually about, it very much begins as a domestic tale between a husband and wife as the child is sidelined, but the second half puts their son front and center, making for a harrowing and compelling viewing experience. At no point do you feel comfortable throughout the film, the air hangs with tension from the start to the finish, and the final shot of the film, in my opinion, couldn't be more perfect. Dano and his cast have produced something very solid. 7.6/10