Werewolf

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Werewolf

2016

1h 20m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

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25 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

The hardscrabble existence of two homeless addicts is portrayed with sensitivity and brutal honesty in acclaimed filmmaker Ashley McKenzie's debut feature. Shot almost entirely in oblique close-ups to capture the disorientation and frustration of McKenzie's characters, twentysomething junkies Blaise and Vanessa, Werewolf doggedly and courageously refuses to romanticize its characters lives. Sleeping in tents, fighting with government bureaucrats, Blaise and Vanessa survive primarily through an underground economy. They harass people to let them cut their grass with a rusty old mower they haul over dirt roads and through rainstorms. Such scenes capture the futility, toil, and frustration in their lives with startling power, like some crack-addled version of the Stations of the Cross.

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Critics Consensus

Against all odds, Werewolf is a raw depiction of the corporeal struggle through addiction, existence and perseverance.

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Samantha Riedel

Bitch Media

Ashley McKenzie... she crafts a quietly devastating story of addiction, recovery, and relapse that portrays its subjects with both compassion and blunt honesty.

Feb 11, 2021

Full Review

Nick Pinkerton

Film Comment Magazine

Scene by scene, what McKenzie is after is capturing the process of a young woman walling herself off from sentimental appeal in order to save her own life, steeling herself for the long walk away from the wreck of her man.

Mar 8, 2018

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Her characters are a little too blank to sustain interest through an entire film, but this modest indie generates a haunting mood of 21st-century despair.

Mar 2, 2018

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Orla Smith

Seventh Row

Werewolf is a gripping film that avoids poverty porn by asking real moral and personal questions. McKenzie's camera doesn't feel exploitative either.

Jul 23, 2020

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

The film is a rarity, a Canadian film about the working class, the poor.

Jul 8, 2020

Full Review

Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Canadian Crew

McKenzie used non-professional actors for Werewolf and the strategy pays off handsomely.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 28, 2020

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Audience Member

Amazing movie. Great filming and acting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Audience Member

Really impressive debut feature from a promising Canadian director. At times uncomfortable to sit through but that's kind of the point. This isn't escapism, this is an unflinching look into the lives of two addict lovers moving in different directions at different speeds. With minimal dialog, the camera lingers closely to catch every bit of acne, crooked and rotting teeth, soulless stare...really great cinematography.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Were people expecting a happy movie about two drug addicts living in poverty? It was interesting to see what McKenzie could do with a full feature film, I'm impressed with her style and looking forward to her improving her craft and seeing what she can do in the future. Now I didn't feel as strongly for these characters as I did for a character like Richard Gere in Time Out of Mind. But I still felt for these guys. I felt their pain, their frustration, their urge to just die. They were both portrayed decently by Gills and McNeil. Cinematography can be interesting at times and at other time it can be jarring. The camera focus being pulled away from the subject on to some background. But then again, that adds to the emotion of the film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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kate l

pathetic and not very accurate.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/16/18

Full Review

Audience Member

Was so bad it would be an insult to the word film to call it one. If you like watching people mow lawns for entertainment then you should seek mental help. If you enjoy this film you yourself must be using some serious brain destroying drugs. It feels like the film is in slow motion while you watch them swot flies, try fall asleep and mow lawns for minutes on end. People in Canada must be living seriously,y boring lives if this was rated best film of the year. Hitting your head on a brick wall is less painful than watching this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The longer you give this film a chance to be good the more disappointed you'll be.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Ashley McKenzie

Director

Andrew Gillis

Blaise

Bhreagh MacNeil

Vanessa

Mark Woodland

Mark

Don "Magic" Juan

Young Boy

Katie Appleton

Nessa's Coworker

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Synopsis

The hardscrabble existence of two homeless addicts is portrayed with sensitivity and brutal honesty in acclaimed filmmaker Ashley McKenzie's debut feature. Shot almost entirely in oblique close-ups to capture the disorientation and frustration of McKenzie's characters, twentysomething junkies Blaise and Vanessa, Werewolf doggedly and courageously refuses to romanticize its characters lives. Sleeping in tents, fighting with government bureaucrats, Blaise and Vanessa survive primarily through an underground economy. They harass people to let them cut their grass with a rusty old mower they haul over dirt roads and through rainstorms. Such scenes capture the futility, toil, and frustration in their lives with startling power, like some crack-addled version of the Stations of the Cross.

Director: Ashley McKenzie
Producer: Ashley McKenzie, Nelson MacDonald
Screenwriter: Ashley McKenzie
Production Co: MUBI, Grassfire Films, Factory 25, Ligne 7, The Criterion Channel
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2018
Runtime: 1h 20m

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