Wolf Girl Review

Review of Wolf Girl (2001) by screenqueeen: 👍 3/5

the thirteenth night in the lonesome hooptober day 37 film 30 cats: 0

85/100

this goes into some interesting places but moves at the pace of a lifetime movie for a good chunk. if Tim Curry, Grace Jones, Peter Dinklage and Lesley Ann Warren weren't in this or very prominent i would likely have started drifting until the central conceit started kicking in. it is pretty unique to see a sideshow performer become the thing she's advertised as within the language of show business while literally shedding the physical traits of what served to advertise that attraction. the miming of feasting on once-live animals in her cage before Harley uncovers it becomes intrinsic need and desire fused into one, grafted in the place of Tara's chosen path of vegetarianism unceremoniously. she is offered a hamburger at a diner and has a flash of crisis come across her face before the burgeoning wolf barks out that it wants the meat rare.*

the movie sadly seems to skip along what makes Tara's story so compelling and sells Ryan's character short in the process. i would rather have spent much more time focusing on them both instead of continually returning to Beau and Krystal's posse, we could have them established just as effectively as agents of chaos and destruction by having them tag behind Ryan and Tara separately and together to put more emphasis on the people who want to be around Tara for who she is, which would make the tragedy of Ryan's good intentions have a lot more weight and drama. Those threads seem glossed over unceremoniously and disappointingly underdeveloped. still, this has something special in it and deserves more attention and recognition.

*i wonder if the trans women in that questionably written song and dance would still have something to do in the sideshow company if any of them got bottom surgery or if the still surprising and alarmingly upsetting imagery of having a penis but being a woman is the one thing they have that keeps them from abject poverty and some level of protection. i started getting mild chaser vibes from Curry's character before this scene hit and, hmmmm

**i used to be a vegetarian for about 7 years and decided to switch back to flesh. my first meal with meat in it was a 6 oz new york steak (i did not know then how to really prepare it or what my preferences would be but this has been fixed)