Wildcat Review: Maya Hawke Delivers An Incredible Performance

Maya Hawke delivers an incredible performance in Wildcat, as she portrays many different characters, however the film never fully comes together.

Wildcat follows the story of real life writer Flannery O’Connor, who suffered from Lupus before passing away. Based on many of her own writings, this film weaves together stories she has written, with her actual life, which often causes confusion. In the end, the multiple sides of this movie never find their way together, however, Maya Hawke delivers an incredible performance in the lead role.

Because of the nature of Wildcat, Maya Hawke plays several different characters. She is Flannery, but she is also the lead in each of Flannery’s stories. This allows her to truly show off her range, which the brightest part of this movie. Each of the short stories she is involved in are intriguing and unique in their own way.

The issue lies in that we are following the story of Flannery to all of a sudden be shoved into a new one, with no real connecting pieces. Actors are now playing different characters and it often takes several moments until we fully realize we are in another of these tales, not the real world anymore.

Flannery O’Connor is dealing with a lot in her personal life, so it makes sense that she finds escape in her writing. And in doing so, she pictures herself as these main characters. That is not the part that is hard to understand, but rather it is the way these stories are interjected into the overall picture of the movie that becomes confusing.

We aren’t ever explicitly told we are in her mind and it takes a moment for our minds to readjust themselves. Perhaps this is an issue with the editing, or the writing, but either way, it just doesn’t work.

Flannery never questions her faith in God, but she does wonder if he will accept her as she is because of the scandelous things that she writes about. This part of the storyline is intriguing and certainly will have some viewers wondering along with her. That, and the individual short stories that are told, at least bring some entertainment to the movie.

Also, there is a fake trailer ahead of the movie which is not as brillaint a start to the film that the creators might have thought. Instead it only further confuses things.

Maya Hawke’s commitment to playing each of these characters differently is hands down the best part of this movie. She absolutely shines, but still cannot save Wildcat. The cast as a whole does what they can with it, as does the production design, hair, makeup, and costumes. The setting is perfectly set and audiences will absolutely feel as if they are in 1950, they just might not enjoy their time there.

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About Wildcat

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.

Wildcat hits theaters on May 3rd.

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Maya Hawke's commitment to playing each of these characters differently is hands down the best part of this movie. She absolutely shines, but still cannot save Wildcat.

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