Wildlike Film Analysis

Wildlike tells the story of a 14 year old girl who escapes her sexually abusive uncle by travelling across the Alaskan wilderness with an older widowed man. The unlikely pair strike up an, at first, reluctant friendship, but slowly come to have a deeper understanding of each other and the purpose behind their travels. The film features several disturbing scenes in which Mackenzie is molested by her uncle and does not shy away from portraying how hideous sexual abuse by a family member is. In the film, it was nearly impossible for any onlooker, such as the uncle's friend or Bart at first, to realize that Mackenzie was being abused and needed help. This raises the question of how to tell if someone is in distress in public or if people can be

Mackenzie runs away from the city of Juneau to escape her abusive uncle while Bart retreats to the Alaskan wilderness away from Seattle after the recent death of his wife to find peace and be reminded of her. The wilderness is a place of escape for the two characters away from the pressures and tragedy associated with more urban areas. The parts of the film in which Bart, Mackenzie, and briefly the tourists with the kites are camping are the most peaceful parts of the film, with the exception of the uncomfortable scene with Mackenzie and Bart in the tent. Every other scene depicts Mackenzie running from the police or evading her uncle while constantly checking her phone, but in the wilderness, she finds comfort in that they are not going to find her and take her back. This lessened anxiety helps her to connect with Bart and the others around her and grow as a person, such as realizing that she does not need to repay Bart with sex. For Bart, the wilderness helps him to revisit pleasant memories of his deceased wife while also coming to terms with her death and realizing that he still has a role to play in helping a lost Mackenzie. Bart slowly learns to open up his heart again to show kindness and compassion to a young woman after it appears as if he has shut himself off emotionally and was resigned to loneliness for the rest of his life. The vast wilderness pushed Mackenzie and Bart to both come to terms with themselves and their situations without the pressure of being surrounded by others and the modern