Yolanda (Lola Amores) is the Cuban protagonist in Alan Gonzalez’ Wild Woman, a movie where she tries to get back the only other family she knows – her son (Jean Marcos Fraga Piedra). Her journey is treacherous. She either has sex or is a victim of sexual assault. Another man – the only person wearing his mask properly in a movie where COVID exists – follows her around. As she makes her way from a smaller town to a bigger city, she asks a relative why no one is answering her calls. The movie eventually reveals why one of her relatives takes her son. It’s not just because of her abrasive personality, threatening people around her. As it turns out, someone captured a video one of her boyfriends attacking the other.
Wild Woman has good intentions behind it. But its tonal shifts are… wild, although in fairness, I am technically down for a downward spiral movie. And movies like this exist so a protagonist like Yolanda blossoms into someone whom viewers can eventually root for. But it’s disappointing to see a movie start out strong only for the second and third acts to lag. There are a lot of movies this year with complex female protagonists. Two of those movies stretch the limit of viewers’ sympathies. I might dislike both but this one is the worse one of the two. It also doesn’t help that the movie’s cinematography gets worse by the scene. This movie will divide the viewers who’ll bother.
ph. TIFF
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/11/2023
- Directed by: Alán González
- Starring: Jean Marcos Fraga Piedra, Lola Amores
- Produced by: Claudia Calviño
- Written by: Alán González, Nuri Duarte
- Studio: CACHA FILMS
