The Asian film market continues to deliver the most diverse films around with more actually working than not. They seem to take a lot more chances with storytelling and visuals than any other market. The latest A Werewolf Boy comes from Korea and offers a unique love story but does it work to tell the strange tale that it hopes too or is it one of those so far out there that it misses the mark and only speaks to certain audiences?
A Werewolf Boy follows an elderly woman called back to a cottage that she used to live in when she was a girl. There she had encountered a young "wolf boy" living in the shed. What started out as a terrifying encounter turned into a love/friendship as she uses dog training tactics to teach the boy how to live in the real world that will change her life forever. This is one of those fantasy stories that sounds a bit boring and probably shouldn't work, but surprisingly delivers. Let's be clear, there are no actual werewolves in this film, but instead more of a feral young boy. The performances are really well done, especially from Joong-ki Song who plays the wolf-boy. He really plays up the dog behaviors making the character that much more believable without making it silly to watch. The film moves at a fairly slow pace with a few moments that could have been chipped to help it flow a bit better, but most of it is necessary for the overall story. There are some aspects that are a bit predictable for where this story is headed, but it never really continues on the standard path.
There is no action or horror here, but instead a heartwarming fantasy story of two people finding their own path in the world. The film begins in the present, before jumping to the past for most of the film, but the finale back in the present offers a tearjerker type ending that is sure to please and makes the film even better than it already was. This isn't a film for everyone as it is character and dialogue based, but works well to tell this beautiful story.
A Werewolf Boy follows an elderly woman called back to a cottage that she used to live in when she was a girl. There she had encountered a young "wolf boy" living in the shed. What started out as a terrifying encounter turned into a love/friendship as she uses dog training tactics to teach the boy how to live in the real world that will change her life forever. This is one of those fantasy stories that sounds a bit boring and probably shouldn't work, but surprisingly delivers. Let's be clear, there are no actual werewolves in this film, but instead more of a feral young boy. The performances are really well done, especially from Joong-ki Song who plays the wolf-boy. He really plays up the dog behaviors making the character that much more believable without making it silly to watch. The film moves at a fairly slow pace with a few moments that could have been chipped to help it flow a bit better, but most of it is necessary for the overall story. There are some aspects that are a bit predictable for where this story is headed, but it never really continues on the standard path.
There is no action or horror here, but instead a heartwarming fantasy story of two people finding their own path in the world. The film begins in the present, before jumping to the past for most of the film, but the finale back in the present offers a tearjerker type ending that is sure to please and makes the film even better than it already was. This isn't a film for everyone as it is character and dialogue based, but works well to tell this beautiful story.