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Wild Tales, directed by Damián Szifron and released in 2015, is a series of short stories that show the behavior of different people when they are each faced with what they believe to be unjust. In each story the characters are facing injustice and are driven to extreme behaviors in the quest of their own fulfillment of justice. This suspenseful comedic drama, like its title, is wild. This film is wild not by wild’s definition of nature or away from civilization, but instead by the meaning of bizarre, erratic actions, anger, or lacking restraint. Each story had the characters acting out in a very angry and extreme way. Most of the stories resulted in the death of someone, due to the angry and wild behavior someone exhibited. According to Urban Dictionary the word wild means excellent, special, or unusual. Each of the different parts of the film that occurred were very bizarre and very unusual making the film fit the more slang usage of the word wild.

The very first story that occurred in this film was very shocking and set the tone for how the rest of the film would play out. A character that was able to get everyone that wronged him on a plane and then crash it at the house of his parents is a very wild story. I was shocked to watch a story that would seem impossible, play out. It perfectly lays out how the other stories will be in that it surprises the viewers and re-sets their expectations for the film. The film itself I would consider wild due to someone thinking of the idea to put together extremely bizarre stories and constantly keep the viewers on their toes wondering what exciting yet unhinged event will happen next.

-Stephanie Wilhite

Ouija: Origin of Evil is a film I consider to be “wild”. It was directed in 2016 by Mike Flanagan and stars Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, and Henry Thomas. It was a horror/thriller movie in which a family buys a Ouija board to help run their business of contacting the dead. Their usage of the board happens to invite a spirit which possesses the family’s youngest daughter, Doris. The family investigates and learns of Doris’s situation after realizing her behavior is not characteristic of her, but the spirit ends up possessing the whole family and killing them all except for their other daughter Lina. Lina is sent to a mental hospital after being suspected of murdering her mother and sister, where she stays at the end of the film. I believe this film to be “wild” because of the incorporation of spirits which posses the characters and cause them to do things that would widely be considered unusual. This film was designed to incite feelings of horror in the audience, which it is able to accomplish by depicting scenes that are so “wild” that it strikes us with fear.

One specific scene that portrays this film’s wildness takes place at the end of the movie as Lina is being kept in the mental hospital and seeks to summon Doris’s spirit. She tears the carpet in the room with her bare hands and uses her own blood to create a makeshift Ouija board on the wooden floor. Lina’s actions in this scene were so primal and so far beyond what most would consider to be “socially acceptable” that I believe them to be a perfect example of the wildness present in this film.

-Avinash K

A film I consider to be “wild” is Mother! (2017), directed by Darren Aronofsky, in which Jennifer Lawrence (Mother) and Javier Bardem (Him) star. It follows the story of a pregnant woman and her husband living alone in the countryside. One night, a stranger appears at the door, and the husband allows him to stay. Eventually, the man’s wife and two sons also become guests in the home. The husband is protective over a crystal that the new couple ends up breaking. As the days go by, more people unexpectedly arrive at the house. The baby is due at any moment, and Mother wants everyone to leave, but her husband refuses. Eventually, Mother gives birth, and the people want to see it. She refuses, but her husband gives the baby to the crowd against her wishes. In the process of passing the baby around, the baby is accidentally killed, and the people begin to eat its corpse. Mother is angry at the crowd, and they begin to beat her until Him stops them. Determined to make them pay, she goes to the basement and causes the house to explode. Everyone but Him dies, and he goes to pull a crystal out of Mother, and the story begins again. The themes of this movie are violence, loss of humanity, and destruction. I consider this film “wild” because it showcases total human savagery and loss of inhibition. Throughout the movie, the guests destroy the home and become more uncivilized. Despite Mother’s pleas, the strangers in the house disregard her and cannot be tamed.

In one scene, the police enter the home which sends the mass of people into further disarray. I believe this scene best reflects the movie’s wildness through its sheer intensity. The director creates a sense of wildness and chaos through the quick-paced shots and sounds of screaming people. The scene intentionally overwhelms the viewer to emphasize the barbarity of the guests. This scene is impactful because it begins to show the true nature of the guests that have begun to take over the house. 

Anna Allen

A popular film that I consider wild is the 2010 movie adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. This film was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois and starred the likes of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, and others. Hiccup is a 15-year-old Viking who lives in a Viking village on the island, Berk, frequently attacked by dragons. After taking down a Night Fury and leaving it flightless, Hiccup develops a bond with him and names him Toothless. He builds a prosthetic fin and harness to allow the dragon to fly, realizing that dragons are not naturally aggressive creatures. However, once his father, the chieftain, finds out about Toothless and the location of the dragon’s nest, he embarks with an army to take down the nest, disturbing the enormous dragon that resides inside. Toothless and Hiccup swoop in to save the day, taking down the massive dragon. After the battle, Hiccup finds out that his village and dragons found a way to coexist together in peace. This movie presents themes that things are not always what they seem, the importance of community, family, and friendship, and themes of wildness. This movie portrays wildness through both the society of the Vikings and the dragons. The Vikings constantly fend off the wild creatures, leaving them with a wild way of life. The dragons are wild beasts, undomesticated, uncivilized, and reckless. 

A specific scene that best reflects my reasoning regarding the wildness of the film is the opening scene. While the audience is being introduced to Berk and its dragon infestation, dragons fly out of every house, buildings engulfed with flames, and angry groups of Vikings fight the dragons. This scene depicts the dragons in their most wild state, as Vikings are attacking them, and displays them acting recklessly and uncontrollably, perfectly representing one of the many definitions of “wild.” Additionally, the Vikings run around in disorganized groups, trying to take down the dragons with anything in sight. Even Hiccup is shown abandoning his post in a wild attempt to take down a Night Fury. This opening scene is pure chaos and reflects multiple definitions of wildness.

-Juliette Chartier

When it comes to the definition of the term “wild,” many dictionaries would agree that “wild” means something along the lines of undomesticated species. For example, Merriam-Webster defines “wild” as “not inhabited or cultivated” and “not subject to restraint or regulation.” Within these definitions, it is clear that scholars are typically in agreement that “wild” is essentially the opposite of civilized ways of living. Furthermore, the Cambridge dictionary defines “wild” as being “uncontrolled, violent, or extreme,” a far more intense perspective of the term in question. Overall, the definition of “wild” seems to limit its function to describe the abnormal.

While these definitions of “wild” characterize this term as the opposite of the norm, I would respectfully have to disagree. In my own view, the term “wild” essentially creates its own definition of “normal,” which might appear “abnormal” to an outsider looking in. For example, when studying undomesticated animals or uncivilized peoples, an outsider might characterize these ways of life as wild; however, the inhabitants of these “wild” groups might view modern-day civilizations as “abnormal” or “wild.” Additionally, when looking at the alternative definition of “wild,” in which “wild” is described as unrestrained or uncontrolled, it almost places a negative connotation on the inability to tame the “wild.” I would reply that “wild” is undeserving of this pessimistic view. Again, it is simply in the perspective of scholars and individuals in power that characteristics such as “uncontrolled” or “unrestrained” might be problematic to society. This issue is vital because terminology and labels such as “wild,” can have a polarizing effect on those who have been labeled as such, essentially othering and ostracizing them from “normal” society. Therefore, it is essential to establish definitions that refrain from othering and utilize words, such as “wild,” in a careful context to avoid labeling people with harmful terms.

-Juliette Chartier

A film that would be considered wild is “Breaking News in Yuba County” which was released in 2021 and stars Allison Janney, Awkwafina, Mila Kunis, Wanda Skyes, and many other acclaimed actors. The main character, Sue Buttons, is a suburban housewife who feels as though she is being taken for granted by her husband. Her husband, Karl, and his brother were involved in a money laundering scheme which has landed him in hot water with some criminals. Feeling forgotten on her birthday, Sue decides to confront Karl which eventually leads her to find out that he has a mistress. During this discovery, Karl passes away due to shock and as Sue sees constant news coverage of a missing girl and the uplifting treatment her family has received from the community, she gets an idea. Sue reports her husband missing and works to grow as a local celebrity. Overall, the film can be characterized as wild due to Sue’s brazen attitude towards the death of her husband and only focusing on the media fame and attention. Additionally, the side plot of the money laundering criminals and their ruthlessness paired with misunderstandings between them and Karl’s brother, leave the audience with no expectations of what may happen next. This film would not be critically acclaimed and has quite a few problems with it as seen by its poor ratings, but it is perfect to watch without any expectations. 

The film’s wild nature is certainly depicted with the unexpected violence in the last 15 minutes of the movie, essentially everyone but the main character is killed in a shocking sequence of events. Even characters you wouldn’t expect to be killed off are done so in a rather “wild” manner. The different side characters start interacting with each other and in the aftermath, the audience is left feeling unsettled with the ending as no justice seems to be served.

A film that I consider wild is Promare, produced in 2019 by Japanese animation companies Trigger and XFLAG, directed by Hiroyuki Imashi, and written by Kazuki Nakashima. The movie stars Galo Thymos (Kenichi Matuyama), a rookie member of the Burning Rescue firefighting team who faces Lio Fotia (Taichi Saotome), the leader of the arsonist terrorist group Mad Burnish composed of pyrokinetic humans called the “Burnish” who must burn to survive. As the film progresses, Galo learns from Lio that the Burnish are facing persecution from his childhood hero, Kray Foresight (Masato Sakai), eventually leading them to join forces & stop Kray from using the alien Promare inside the Burnish to fuel a spaceship needed to flee a soon to explode Earth. Working together, Lio and Galo pilot a mecha to destroy the ship and let the Burnish burn off their Promare harmlessly, preventing Earth’s destruction and allowing humans and Burnish to live together. The movie has themes of prejudice, segregation, perseverance, unity, & love as Galo and Lio figuratively (and literally) get together to destroy the walls that separated the Burnish and humans. What makes this film wild for me is Trigger’s explosive animation work and electrifying colors, along with the spontaneous and insane plot, creating a viewing experience that is excessively over the top and captivating.

One scene that best reflects my reasoning on Promare’s wildness is the finale of the film where Galo and Lio burn the Earth. The two of them power up their mecha again through the support of the humans and Burnish they represent and transform to galactic proportions, in which they then proceed to punch the Earth several times to combust all of the Promare on the planet, allowing them to burn safely. Their punches echo through the solar system, igniting the other planets and allowing them to send the Promare back home. I feel that the intensity of the action combined with the visual overload of colors, which some may say is hard to follow, ultimately encapsulates the extravagant nature of Promare.

Trailer

– Kenny Ly

Merriam-Webster states that “wild” can be used as an adjective, noun, and adverb. As a noun, “wild” can represent a free state of existence or an untouched region of land. As an adverb, wild can be used to describe the growth of things deviating from the expectation or without regulation. “Wild” can take on the greatest number of meanings when used as an adjective. It is said to describe something in nature that is not subject to direct human influence. It can also describe things which are not restrained or restricted in any way. Literally, it is often used to describe aspects of nature, such as wild plants or animals. The most abstract definitions of “wild” describe the word as emblematic of strong emotion or exceeding past conventional boundaries. “Wild” has also taken on some informal meanings, such as, ironically, both very enthusiastic and very angry. However, this may not be as unexpected as we might think, as “wild” tends to describe extremes; in this case it is being used to convey extremes of different emotions.

In the context of this course, I define “wild” as anything which is not recognized by the society of its time. In order for something to be wild, there needs to be a mainstream societal consensus on what is not wild. A number of factors may affect where this line is drawn, such as religion, culture, and the groups which have the most social influence. Anything outside of that boundary can be considered wild. I would imagine that “wild” things are often stigmatized and met with criticism, shame, and censure by the society of their times.

-Avinash K