Page 6 October 25, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Wildlife: A Stunning and Powerful
Debut from Director Paul Dano
By Morgan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
The last time Paul Dano was celebrated at
the Sundance Film Festival, he was riding
waves atop Daniel Radcliffe’s corpse like a
jet ski in 2016’s Swiss Army Man. The last
time Zoe Kazan was at Sundance, she was
starring opposite Kumail Nanjiani in the
beloved romantic comedy, The Big Sick. The
creative duo and real-life couple returned
to Sundance earlier this year with a movie
of their own -- an adaptation of the 1990
Richard Ford novel, Wildlife, which marks
Dano’s directorial debut.
Wildlife tells the story of a small-town
nuclear family in 1960s Montana. Jerry (Jake
Gyllenhaal) and Jeanette (Carey Mulligan)
live a simple life: he works on a golf course
and she’s a homemaker. Their 14-year-old son
Joe (Ed Oxenbould) attends public school
and struggles to meet friends, a byproduct
of the family’s consistent moving around
the country due to Jerry’s flighty nature
and always-changing career paths. After an
unexpected layoff not only hurts his financial
stability but also his pride, Jerry makes a
spur-of-the-moment decision to uproot his
life and join a nearby firefighting brigade
that is battling an uncontrollable forest fire
close by, leaving his small family behind for
an unknown period of time.
As the movie shows through the limited but
observant perspective of Joe, his mother edges
ever closer towards the brink of unforgivable
resentment and finds herself coping in ways
a married woman shouldn’t. From getting a
part-time job to exploring an extramarital
affair with a client (Bill Camp), Jeanette
slowly discovers her own independence. As
she begins to figure out what she really wants
out of life, it leaves Joe, who is still waiting
for his father’s return, as the emotional support
system for the family. Witnessing his parents’
marriage fall apart right before his eyes is
devastating, and even more so because of
how much his parents each depend on him
to be their anchor.
It’s obvious that every detail of Wildlife
has been carefully crafted from the eyes
of a passionate artist. From the 1960s
costumes to every detail of the production
design, the ambiance of the film screams
warmth and heart, even if its central characters
struggle with those same virtues. Here,
Dano proves that he has not been idle as
an actor on his previous movie sets, showcasing
a strong visual style all his own.
Every frame of Wildlife looks like it was
lifted from a Norman Rockwell painting.
The sweeping cool, blue hues give a layer
of sophisticated authenticity to this quiet yet
powerful indie drama.
It will be interesting to see Dano and Kazan’s
filmmaking path post-Wildlife, which
is a confident debut in and of itself. Dano
certainly proves that he can command a
tough yet tender film both technically and
creatively and I, for one, can’t wait to see
what he does next.
104 minutes. Wildlife is rated PG-13 for
thematic material including a sexual situation,
brief strong language, and smoking.
Now playing at ArcLight Hollywood and
The Landmark. •
Police Briefs
Jennifer Turnbull Honored with
Kiwanis Good Citizen Award
Jennifer Turnbull observed an unknown
male open the exterior gate of her property
and attempt to open the front door. Believing
the man to be suspicious, she immediately
called the police and provided a description of
the suspect and his direction of travel. A few
L to R: El Kiwanis Club President Ty Leisher, Jennifer Turnbull, El Segundo Police Lieutenant Jaime Bermudez.
ESPD Officers Offer Help to
Homeless
Entertainment
minutes earlier, the same male was reported
trying vehicle door handles in another area
of town. Turnbull’s quick assistance led to
the arrest of the suspect for trespassing and
resisting arrest.
– Photo/Content: Laurie Risk, ESPD •
Community Liaison Officers Marco Lemus
and John Deer are part of a specialized unit
that work with homeless individuals to help
get them assistance. These officers are also
available to assist people that currently have
a place to live but may be on the verge of
becoming homeless. The loss of a job, financial
issues and other factors can force someone
out of their home and into the unknown. If
you, or someone you know, currently has
a place to live but may potentially become
homeless we may be able to help you. Please
contact Officer Marco Lemus at (310) 524-
2813 / mlemus@elsegundo.org or Officer
John Deer (310) 524-2264/ jdeer@elsegundo.
org for assistance and get connected with
useful resources.
– Source: ESPD
Suspects in
Copper Wire Theft Arrested
On Oct. 12, 2018 at approximately 1:44
a.m., an officer was on patrol in the alley
south of the 1300 block of East Imperial
Avenue. He saw a car parked in the middle
of the alley with the engine running and the
headlights on. There was one man standing
outside of the car and one seated inside.
While speaking to the men, the officer learned
both of them had warrants for their arrests.
Further investigation revealed that both men,
and their car, resembled the description of
suspects who had stolen thousands of dollars
in copper wire on Oct. 10, 2018 several
blocks away. The story the men provided
during the interview led officers to believe
those were the suspects involved in the theft
several days prior. It is likely that they were
currently parked in the alley to try and steal
more copper wiring from the same location.
Both men were arrested on the suspicion of
committing theft related crimes. Suspects:
Ronald Pasco (Baldwin Park), Edgar Perez
(Montclair). Vehicle: 2012 black Honda Civic,
4-door. If anyone has information related to
this case please contact Detective Kurt Rasmusson
at (310) 524-2216 or krasmusson@
elsegundo.org (Case#: 18-2770).
– Source: ESPD •
Officer Marco Lemus Officer John Deer
Film Review
Wildlife, Courtesy of IFC Films.
Morgan Rojas.
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