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Wildcat

Play trailer 2:06 Poster for Wildcat Released May 3, 2024 1h 48m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 79 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites the audience to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor's mind as she ponders the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In 1950, Flannery (Maya Hawke) visits her mother Regina (Laura Linney) in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at twenty-four years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father's life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery to ultimately come to peace with her situation and heal a strained relationship with her mother.
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Critics Consensus

Wildcat brings careful craft and solid acting to bear on an admirable idea; unfortunately, it still struggles to present a compelling picture of a brilliant author's inner life.

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Critics Reviews

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Kimberley Jones Austin Chronicle Wildcat will be a far richer experience for audiences already familiar with O’Connor’s work. For neophytes, there’s still much to enjoy, but the thematic resonance between story and storyteller gets a little lost. Rated: 3/5 May 31, 2024 Full Review Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times With pinpoint production design, makeup and wardrobe capturing the 1950s time period, exquisite cinematography and brilliant work by talented actors who get to sink their teeth into some meaty roles, Wildcat is an inventive and haunting mood piece... Rated: 3/4 May 17, 2024 Full Review Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting Hawke vividly depicts what one deduces from O’Connor’s brash, unrepentantly idiosyncratic work – the blurring of her imagination and reality. Rated: 3.5/5 May 17, 2024 Full Review Dave Giannini Geek Vibes Nation It takes an incredible performance, script, and direction to make her an approachable figure. Luckily, the film has all of this and more. Rated: 9.5/10 Jul 19, 2025 Full Review Tynan Yanaga Film Inquiry What Wildcat has is something so often absent from both film and art these days. It’s not squeamish about the tough conversations nor does it skirt over the most prickly issues. Apr 7, 2025 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film There's enough cogency to its biopic throughlines that makes her story accessible and poignant, but there's a lot about the narrative structure here that poetically blurs the line between fiction and reality. Rated: A- Sep 13, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mr. Hollywood Collections of shorts goes nowhere but I guess thats the point of a collection of shorts. They are all their own unique story. The main story of the author writing the short stories does not add much but acting is good. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/21/24 Full Review Beth Loved it! I am a fan of Flannery OConnors work and somewhat familiar with her life. Not sure how someone unaware of her would rate the movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Roy J This movie isn't for Flannery's fans or for novices to learn about her. This movie is a weekend project between Ethan Hawke and his daughter. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/06/24 Full Review Wendy H In a Q &A with Writer/Director Ethan Hawke after the movie, he described O'Connors attempt to reconcile her faith and her work as a writer in the question "Can I be in service to the form rather than what the form can do in service to me. "Can I be in service to the form rather than what the form can do in service to me." He seems to also son to satisfy this goal himself. The film is an homage to the writings of Flannery O'Connor, and also a sort of the love, appreciation, and inspiration both he and his daughter, Maya Hawke, have for the author. A beautifully crafted film that weaves imagination and reality together until they become one and the same, subtly daring us to question our own faith in what we believe to be real. After all, what reality can there ever be if we don't first imagine it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/05/24 Full Review Joe C Among the more reputable reviewers listed, the ratings are pretty solid. Ditto the audience scores. Yet Wildcat tallies a mediocre 59% (at present) among the so-called professional critics. Usually, RT tends to overrate by about 10% over Metacritic, whose pro critics are more trustworthy in my opinion. In this case, the lesser, self-appointed critics (I.e., Freddie's Fine Flix, The Big Streaming Pile, etc.) veered into negative territory. Movies about writers typically focus on the highs (incredible success) or lows (insecurities, alcoholism, the creative well drying up) of their careers. Trying to capture the actual writing process is far trickier, and Ethan Hawke finds a way for the viewer to look out from O'Connor's eyes as her imagination uses her surroundings to create other realities. Maya Hawke & Laura Linney cover a lot of ground with their characters, and the supporting actors measure up, even Steve Zahn. And the bonus at the beginning is alone worth your time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/04/25 Full Review Tiffany S Hampered by a low budget that can’t quite do justice to O’Conner’s imagination and supporting actors that can’t match the tone, but otherwise an excellent film. Maya Hawke gives a world-class performance as Flannery O’Conner. I recommend it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/04/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites the audience to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor's mind as she ponders the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In 1950, Flannery (Maya Hawke) visits her mother Regina (Laura Linney) in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at twenty-four years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father's life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery to ultimately come to peace with her situation and heal a strained relationship with her mother.
Director
Ethan Hawke
Producer
Ryan Hawke, Joe Goodman, Cory Pyke, Karri O'Reilly
Screenwriter
Shelby Gaines, Ethan Hawke
Distributor
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co
Renovo Media Group, Under the Influence Productions, Good Country Pictures, Kingdom Story Company
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 3, 2024, Limited
Runtime
1h 48m
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