New parents Adrienne and Matteo are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.
Pam says:
“Wander Darkly” is an unexpected pleasure. Expecting a stereotypical after-life film filled with life’s regrets and longing for their partner to live, I pleasantly and very quickly realized “Wander Darkly” was going in a completely different direction to be so much more than that.
The film begins with tension as Adrienne (Sienna Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna) are arguing while they’re driving. Their marriage is obviously crumbling. In the heat of the argument, they’re in a horrific car accidetn. As they’re rushed to the hospital, we get a glimpse into Adrienne’s perceptions, seeing herself as deceased. Time becomes irrelevant and we experience her past with Matteo as well as what would have been their future together with their daughter, Ellie. The trauma of loss and love is at the heart of the film, but demonstrated in its own unique way. It’s a surreal story that eloquently translates into our own thoughts, lives, and regrets while it connects you deeply with both Adrienne and Matteo, seeing their lives from their own unique points of view. And from tragedy, writer/director Tara Miele finds the beauty.
3 1/2 Stars
Chuck says:
Films like Wander Darkly try sooooo hard to move the viewer that it can’t get out of its own way to achieve that goal. While the premise of the film is intriguing – think It’s a Wonderful Life taken on by a couple – the gimmick is so obvious through0ut that I simply couldn’t get past it. Movies by their very nature are a manipulative exercise but when the instrument of this manipulation is front-and-center, the ability for it to sweep us away proves elusive. Miller does good work, as she always does, but it is in the service of a subpar exercise.
2 Stars.
