Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Absolutely Fantastic

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's really well cast. There are no risks taken with the casting which leads to the film simply being really well cast, which in turn adds to the believability of the aesthetic & therefore the story.The story is subtle without over-dramatisation, which makes it all the more realistic & allows the viewer to be carried along with ease. The subject matter itself is approached with respect & a gentle hand. I found the end very moving, as the child is offered hope of a childhood.Often films of this nature can be too dramatic, too dark, which leads the viewer to be repulsed & empathy can be lost in that mix. However! This film offers hope above all else. We know there are awful humans in this world & that children fall foul to them via circumstance, but there is good in this world too, there is hope.Well written piece.

The only reason I gave a three was of the Alaskin beauty. The lead female actor was terrible. The plot held no real adventure. The story line left you wanting. that's 2 hours of my life I can't get back. The mistake made here was for the female actor to assume everyone understood her pain without her ever saying a word. And yet she go from place to place bumming her way back home. Realistically she would of found a better way to handle it. I hope you got more out of this film than I did and enjoyed it Sadly this film was greatly exaggerated as far as the amount of stars. Who was watching this rating it that high? little old ladies?

The big winner of the festival (15th Annual Phoenix Film Festival) was Frank Hall Green's "Wildlike". Winner of Best Acting Ensemble, Best Screenplay and Best Picture which pulled out all the stops in its breathtaking Alaskan beauty and subtle emotional impact. Ella Purnell plays Mackenzie, a troubled teen who is sent by her struggling mother to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska. Unfortunately, Uncle is on the creepy side and is not above manhandling his underage niece. First chance she gets, Mackenzie runs away and attempts to head back to Seattle.We see MacKenzie making bad decisions, stumbling through awkward situations, and eventually meeting up with an older man who's wife passed away a year before. Bruce Greenwood delivers a gentle and earthy performance as Rene Bartlett, the man determined to travel alone through an area of Alaska that he and his wife were suppose to trek through. MacKenzie finally finds someone she can place trust in, but it is not an easy union.Some may consider Rene to be the father figure that Mackenzie has been searching for, but he could easily be just a decent enough human being that Mackenzie needs in her life. Although, it's not an easy pairing since the man resists having so much emotional baggage even though he does care for her well-being. Their journey through the Alaskan wild and how they connect on so many emotional levels is a trip worth taking. Frank Hall Green somehow not only captures the intimacy of his two explorers, but also of the wilderness itself. Quiet moments are so nuanced that one cannot help reflect on the wonders of both human nature and nature itself.Ella Purnell demonstrates a natural ability to convey strength and vulnerability all at once. She can be both spunky and timid, and we believe her every step of the way. The one thing I could not get over was her striking resemblance to actress Reese Witherspoon, and how both have now done films with wildlife settings around the same time period.Green gives us an absorbing look into this troubled teen, the men in her life all the while providing something much more than just a travelogue. He incorporates the John Ford techniques, showing us how small we really are compared to everything going on around us, but then brings us back with an intimacy that keeps us well in touch with those we care about. "Wildlike" is a gorgeous film that touches our heart and soul.This review is taken in part from my article, "Highlights from the Phoenix Film Festival" from The Movie Guys.

Wildlike is a most captivating film about a 14 year old girl, Mackenzie, who's father passed away a year before. With her mother, in what we assume is drug rehabilitation, this 14 year old girl is sent to stay with her mother's brother in Juneau, Alaska. After escaping from this man's abuse, she meets up with Bart, an upstanding, very ruddy handsome, older man with whom she feels a real sense of safety. Bart is on a quest to accept a loss of his own and plans to hike the Danali National Park in Alaska alone. This beautiful young lady insists, in a most persistent but adorable way, that she is going to tag along on Bart's hike. Bart, of course, tries his best to dissuade her from joining him. This film will tug at your heartstrings and will keep you focused and entertained throughout. The two main characters, Mackenzie and Bart, are cast perfectly. This is a film that you will not want to miss, a film that should be in all theaters, not just at independent film festivals but so glad that the Durango Film Festival chose it for ours.