Movie Review: "The Wanting Mare" (2021)
The Wanting Mare Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by Gravitas Ventures
Written and Directed by Nicholas Ashe Bateman
2020, 89 minutes, Not Rated
Released on February 5th, 2021
Starring:
Jordan Monaghan as Moira
Nicholas Ashe Bateman as Lawrence
Yasamin Keshtkar as Eirah
Edmond Cofie as Hadeon
Christine Kellogg-Darrinn as Moira
Josh Clark as Lawrence
Maxine Muster as The Sister
Review:
The thing about truly independent filmmaking that keeps me coming back is the inventiveness on ramen noodle budgets and the sheer force of will to make shit work. In this case, the doggedly ambitious The Wanting Mare is writer-director Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s 5-year odyssey to build a new fantasy world inside an old storage facility. Generally, CGI-heavy effects and shoestring budget are not synonymous with each other, but this film is an accomplishment that’s as impressive and mutedly gorgeous as it is perplexing and hard to follow at times.
The Wanting Mare opens with a brief synopsis that perfectly sums up the of its post-apocalyptic world:
Just north of the city of Whithren, hidden in the heat, wild horses run along the coast. Once a year, they are trapped and exported to the southern tip of Levithen, to a city in constant winter. There are tickets for passage aboard this yearly transport ship, but they are a rare commodity.
If that slice of end of days sci-fi is your cup of tea, you’ll have to be patient to understand the story of Moira (Jordan Monaghan; Dirty Beautiful), the nightly dreams of “the time before” that are a part of her blood legacy, and her family story across both sides of the treacherous sea. It’s set in a dark and hazy dystopia with a vibe that’s equal parts Salvador Dalí and Myst. The technical mastery of the VFX (also the work of Bateman) is so tight and immersive that’s it’s almost distracting. There are definitely more tales to be told in the world of Anmaere, and I personally want to see them.
But we have to talk about the narrative side of things.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the wall…
The Wanting Mare has bits and pieces of a wonderfully dense story that’s rich with promise, but the time jumps and extremely sparse dialogue will have you asking a truckload of questions. Some of those are answered and some aren’t, and I can certainly live with that (I’m a LOST junkie, after all). The issue comes more in the form of connectivity; you’re never entirely sure where the story is going. By the time it all wraps up in a sublime and poetic ending, it makes more sense. Will you still be along for the slow-moving ride, though?
The Wanting Mare is the epitome of style over story. I know the expression is usually style over substance, but there is no lack of substance in the heart of this movie. It’s an unequivocally gorgeous dark fairy tale (complete with rapidly decomposing bodies and violent street crime) that centers itself around the universal desire to escape your shitty circumstances and score that winning ticket. Even if all you win is a trip to place where the next stop seems to be heading into Snowpiercer territory, that might still beat living in the sweltering literal hell of your current home. Taken in that regard, The Wanting Mare doesn’t necessarily need strong characters and narrative flow.
The frustrating part is the promise behind the story of Whithren and Levithen. What did happen before to cause that stark apocalyptic landscape? Why do bodies decompose so quickly? Why are people so batshit crazy about horses in a frozen wasteland? Why is the dream passed from generation to generation of these women? Also, did I really see a horse eating a rapidly decomposing body? Dammit, I need answers!
Ultimately, The Wanting Mare is one of those movies that won’t be for everyone. Those with real patience will be rewarded with a movie that, despite its narrative slog, delivers dreamy darkness in a fantasy setting where the shadows are just begging to be explored. It would seem Nicholas Ashe Bateman has more to tell us about Anmaere.
Grade:
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
