The Wolves of Kromer

The Wolves of Kromer tells the story of two wolves who, despite being persecuted by the villagers of Kromer, fall in love.

The Wolves of Kromer is a "modern-day fairy tales" with a bit of a gay twist. The persecuted wolves aspect is supposed to be a metaphor for gays being persecuted by the straight community. Also - to add some not so subtle hints - all of the wolves are male...! The Wolves of Kromer had some potential with its interesting ideas and fresh approach to gay cinema - but unfortunately - it gets bogged down with a boring story-line featuring two old ladies trying to murder a wealthy woman to get her inheritance. The subplot doesn't really gel with the gay wolves at all.

If the movie had of been a bit more focused on the gay-wolf story - then it could have been a whole lot better. Despite all the criticism - there were some neat ideas and a half-decent twist at the end.

WOLVES OF KROMER is a low budget movie and you can see that all the time you watch it. Some may find the look of the wolves amusing (the furry tail sticking out of their pants in particular), but I think that's not the point. The director paid more attention to the case of two elderly ladies who kill another one -and this issue takes more time than the wolves actually. Another weakness of WOLVES is the lack of any deeper psychological attempt to explain why do characters act the way they do. But do we get that kind of stuff in fairy tales? No. Fairy tales are supposed to be enjoyable. And so are THE WOLVES OF KROMER. The movie is cute, charming at times, the music and photography are beautiful (and you'll love the landscapes). This is not a masterpiece, but just a nice and sweet fable. Don't expect to witness a great movie or you'll get disappointed. Expect to see simplicity, sweetness and beauty. And you'll have fun.

I'm always dumbfounded when people equate budget with quality (think of all the high-budget/ low-quality Hollywood movies that dominate the cineplexes). So, yes, this is low budget -- thankfully -- there's no fancy make-up or special effects, and no CGI. This movie is based on a PLAY. And it's filmed that way (not "opened up" very much from the source). Regardless of how you feel about this specific film, please be aware that there are many fine films out there, of varying budgets, that are presented stylistically as more of a play. Most of the time it is an artistic decision having nothing to do with budget.

As far as the content (plot, performances, etc.), I can easily understand why there's much dissension in these areas of this particular film. Certainly this is not a movie for the unwashed masses, or even the washed ones! What I like about it is that it's part murder mystery (not a whodunit) with social commentary, and touches of black humour (I guess in many ways, stereotypically British), not to mention the charming and handsome leads. The Wolves of Kromer is to me what Brokeback Mountain is to many others. So if you want a big-budget flick with big American stars (that's also high in quality), go climb the Mountain!

Gay werewolves? emmmm ... a likely story. Though their shabby fur coats and sewn on tales, definitely shows that this film didn't really have that big of a budget, but its not totally unbelieveable considering the werewolves are suppose of be symbolic of gay males, and not actual monsters.

I'd recommend this film if your looking for a little eye candy, as the two main characters (Gabriel and Seth) aren't too bads on the eyes, considering their both male models! Which generally explains why they were a little lacking in the acting department.

In truth the two old ladies creep the hell out of me, especially Fanny, but there performance was a little better than the wolves, though they don't shine a very nice light on lesbian's.

This is going to sound really bad, but my favourite part was the credits. But only cause they look sooo gorgeous! But I don't want to give too much away.

To sum it up:-

Acting: 5/10 Costumes: 4/10 Plot: 8/10 Eye candy: 10/10

The movie takes place in a small British town. Seth and Gabriel are gay, in love and are werewolves. Meanwhile the townspeople are out to kill them because they're "different".

In this movie the werewolves are (very obviously) a metaphor for gay men. In fact the two actors are always in human form even when they're wolves (this movie was made on a VERY low budget). They just wear fur, have long claws for fingernails and have tails (a big mistake--they look laughable).

As you can tell, this is one strange movie. It's well done, beautiful color and scenery and a lush music score. Also, some of the jokes are quite funny but there are plenty of groaners too. The message is also very pro-gay. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't always work.

The acting is bad (it's obvious they hired models, not actors) and this is a cute idea but it's stretched out to 70 minutes.

So, it has its moments (especially if you're gay) but doesn't work as a whole. Still, I recommend it. When it does work it's great!