The True Adventures of Wolfboy

The True Adventures of Wolfboy is a 2019 American coming-of-age film directed by Martin Krejčí and written by Olivia Dufault. The film stars Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Chloë Sevigny, John Turturro, Nick Pulinski, and introduces Sophie Giannamore as Artistiana. It tells the story of a teenage boy with hypertrichosis who leaves home to find his mother while befriending a "mermaid" transgender girl.

The True Adventures of Wolfboy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Krejčí
Screenplay by	Olivia Dufault
Produced by	Declan Baldwin Lauren Beck Benjamin Blake Josh Godfrey Kimberly Steward
Starring	Jaeden Martell Chris Messina Eve Hewson Sophie Giannamore Chloë Sevigny John Turturro Nick Pulinski
Cinematography	Andrew Droz Palermo
Edited by	Joseph Krings
Music by	Nick Urata
Production companies	K Period Media Big Indie Pictures Legacy Effects
Distributed by	Vertical Entertainment
Release dates	July 2, 2019 (2019-07-02) (KVIFF) October 30, 2020 (2020-10-30) (United States)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,189

It had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on July 2, 2019, and was released on October 30, 2020, by Vertical Entertainment.

Premise

A teenage boy named Paul Harker (Jaeden Martell) has a skin condition that causes his skin to grow werewolf-like fur and hair all around it. He runs away from home and his father Denny (Chris Messina) in the search for his estranged mother.^[1] After a brief stint with the exploiting amusement park owner Mr. Silk (John Turturro) in order to fund his travels, Paul befriends a "mermaid" transgender girl and an aspiring singer named Aristiana (Sophie Giannamore) who becomes his companion as Denny, Mr. Silk, and Detective Pollok (Michelle Wilson) each pursue him.

Cast

• Jaeden Martell as Paul Harker, a boy with hypertrichosis.
• Sophie Giannamore as Aristiana, a "mermaid" transgender girl and aspiring singer who befriends Paul.
• Chris Messina as Denny Harker, Paul's father who sets out to find his son when he goes missing.
• Eve Hewson as Rose, a bar patron in an eyepatch who knows Aristiana and later joins Paul in his journey.
• Chloë Sevigny as Jen, Paul's estranged mother.
• John Turturro as Mr. Silk, an amusement park owner who exploits Paul's condition for money and later tracks him across the country.
• Nick Pulinski as Percy, the leader of Paul's bullies from school.
• Michelle Wilson as Pollok, a detective who helps Denny find Paul.
• Stephen McKinley Henderson as Nicholas, Paul's estranged grandfather who lives with Jen and also suffers from hypertrichosis.
• Melissa Mandisa as Aristiana's Mother, an ignorant yet concerned parent.
• JJ Alfieri as Gas Station Clerk
• Bill Smith and Joshua R. Aragon as the Carnival Patrons
• Bob Rusch and Greg Hinaman as the Clowns
• Margo Davis as Mom
• Kristy Nolen as Percy's Mom
• Sheri Fairchild as Jezebel the Laughing Clown
• Mikey Tenerelli as Hairy Larry
• Colin Patrick Farrell as Buck, one of Paul's bullies who serves as Percy's yes-men.

Production

Principal photography for the film began in mid-September 2017 in the Buffalo Niagara Region.^[1][2]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on July 2, 2019.^[3][4] In September 2020, Vertical Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. They released it on October 30, 2020.^[5]

Critical reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critics' consensus reads, "The True Adventures of Wolfboy can be frustratingly uneven, but a worthy story and compassion for its characters help make this coming-of-age story's flaws easy to forgive."^[6] Albert Nowicki of Filmawka called the film "charming", and believed it should be applauded for its inclusion of both the transgender character (Aristiana) and trans actress (Sophie Giannamore).^[7]

Accolades

The True Adventures of Wolfboy was nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film (Limited Release).^[8]

References

1. Set, Ramin (August 24, 2017). "Jaeden Lieberher, John Turturro to Star in 'The True Adventures of Wolfboy' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
2. Calleri, Michael (September 7, 2017). "NCCC hosting 'Wolfboy' casting call on Saturday". Niagara Gazette. from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
3. "The True Adventures of Wolfboy". Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
4. Holdsworth, Nick (May 28, 2019). "Karlovy Vary Film Festival Reveals 2019 Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
5. N’Duka, Amanda (September 24, 2020). "Vertical Entertainment Acquires 'The True Adventures of Wolfboy' Starring Jaeden Martell". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
6. "The True Adventures of Wolfboy (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
7. Nowicki, Albert (December 14, 2019). "'Przygody młodego wilkołaka' (RECENZJA)". Filmawka (in Polish). from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
8. Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 28, 2021). . Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved January 29, 2021.

External links

• The True Adventures of Wolfboy at IMDb
• The True Adventures of Wolfboy at Rotten Tomatoes