by Nathaniel R
I think most of expected to be seeing a lot more of Carey Mulligan in Oscar races after her stunning debut in An Education nine years ago. Yes. nine. years. ago. Crazy how time flies at the cinema. Contrary to those star-is-born expectations she has not been back in the mix yet, despite numerous films since, many of them "prestige" titles: Inside Llewyn Davis, Shame, Suffragette, Mudbound, The Great Gatsby, Far From the Madding Crowd.
But from the looks of the Wildlife teaser plus early critical raves she finally has a bonafide star showcase again...
The film is written and directed by the actor Paul Dano and though I've heard some Revolutionary Road comparisons I don't see much of that here apart from surfaces, since it's a period drama that is at least somewhat about an unhappy marriage. It's based on the novel by Richard Ford, who has quite oddly never been adapted to screen before despite several novels and critical acclaim.
Here's the teaser. What'cha think?
I'd like to predict it all over the place for Oscars but there's a catch. It's from IFC Films and they only very rarely compete for Oscars outside of the fluke Best Documentary (Pina) or Best Actress nomination (Marion Cotillard in Two Days One Night / Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years) and trust that it's not for a lack of acclaimed films! There is one very notable exception in recent years though: Richard Linklater's Boyhood (2014).
Is Wildlife a Boyhood... or just another critical darling that doesn't compete for big prizes? BEST ACTRESS CHART UPDATED