Suffering from a skin condition that causes hair to grow all over his body and face, thirteen-year-old Paul Harker runs away from home to find his mother, who abandoned him to his father when he was born. After suffering years of abuse and crippling self-esteem issues, Paul is trying to find something that gives his life meaning, and encounters a strange cast of characters along the way.
Written by Legion and Preacher scriptwriter Olivia Dufault, The True Adventures of Wolfboy is one of the year’s sweetest movies, with the titular character (played by IT’s Jaeden Martell) a quiet, reserved cipher, absorbing the stories of those he meets along his journey. With strong supporting performances by John Turturro, Chloë Sevigny, and Eve Hewson, and a stellar turn by Sophie Giannamore as Aristiana, the film captures your heart and doesn’t let it go until it’s been given a thorough workout.
Dufault and director Martin Krejčí, a Czech emigré making his first feature, create a world that seems fully realised and bewitching, and if you don’t want to spend more time with any of the main characters once the credits roll, there may be something wrong with you. The True Adventures of Wolfboy is a coming out party for much of the talent involved, and it would be rude not to light a few fireworks and celebrate with them.
