All the Wilderness

Director/writer Michael Johnson has offered a wonderful film about finding the 'self'.

Here we have James Charm with an obsession for dead things like birds, insect, and wilderness dwelling creatures and sketching their dead bodies into his journal. James also visits a therapist, reluctantly. There is something bothering James and we the viewer are kept in the dark until the end of the story as to what he is depressed about.

To find himself he sneaks out at night and goes into the inner city. This is James wilderness. We learn earlier in the story that his father told James about the wonders of the wilderness and that we all have some of that wilderness within us. James is looking for himself and there is one scene with his therapist (Danny DeVito) that is James awakening moment. He discovers he cannot ever know why his father .... He can only know about himself!

This is a sensitive movie wonderfully edited and filmed. I was particularly taken with how director Michael Johnson portrayed James inner demons. The story is about growing up and learning about the world we live in as opposed to the world within us.

All the Wilderness (2014) follows a restless teenager who explores the wilderness of his city while struggling with the absence of his father. This film feels so meaningless and the plot is very uninteresting. This mixed with some very average acting results in a boring viewing. However, the cinematography is quite nice.

The cinematography is by far the best part of the film, the camerawork is done well and fits the vibe of the movie, and the colour palettes are strong. The film uses colour theory and schemes to its advantage and makes for a beautiful viewing.

The sound design is very hit or miss. The score itself is quite odd, but the soundtrack is really good and very appropriate! Other than this, the sound design feels way too overbearing and it all feels poorly mixed.

My main issue with the film is that I feel the characters are very poorly written, and the acting isn't that great either. The story doesn't set up the characters well and we don't get a good feel for them, there's no development and it's hard to care about them. Also, the romance is incredibly forced and unnecessary. The acting does get a tad bit better as the film goes on but it's still nothing notable.

Lastly, the pacing is too slow and not much actually happens. It feels so lifeless and directionless, resulting in the film dragging quite a lot. The movie feels very one-note and I didn't find it to be emotional in the slightest, despite heavily relating to the plot.

This is the kind of film for which cinema was invented ! Probably made on a tiny budget, it looks utterly beautiful, tells a simple story in a poetic way and moves deeply. It oozes atmosphere and doesn't take a single wrong step. I can't recommend it highly enough!

A perfect piece of cinema.

A simple yet beautifully told tale of human tragedy and grievance.

A well acted, complete story that wasn't over told. All of the characters were crafted perfectly to fit the story An excellent balance of story and self-imagination for the intelligent to comprehend the entirety of the plot.

The sublime darkness that follows James Charm was a perfect form to show ones hidden fears, the horror's that can hide deep inside.

How 6 simple words can transform one from the dark to the light, is genus. That one scene, highlights just how transformative this film is.

For those that only appreciate Hollywood block busters.....you won't understand this film.

A definite 'top shelf' film in my estimation.

James Charm (Kodi Smit-McPhee) gets into a fight with a schoolmate. He's obsessed with death and infuriates others with predictions of their deaths. His frustrated mother Abigail Charm (Virginia Madsen) sends him to psychiatrist Dr. Pembry (Danny DeVito) who wants him to attend a special school. He falls for fellow patient Val (Isabelle Fuhrman). He's in the city at night where he's befriended by Harmon (Evan Ross).

Kodi's gawky weirdness is interesting. Isabelle's darker edge is also pretty interesting. There are some surreal touches that could be interesting but it needs to be more consistent. Harmon and the street kids have potential. It's all potentially great. The main missing ingredient is intensity. Other than the delusions, there is a lethargy to the movie. I guess it's the sense of depression coming from James due to his family issue. Despite the fights, I may need him to scream.