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Wendigo 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Larry Fessenden
R, 91 min. (strong sex scene, language, violent images) |
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Starring: Jake Weber, Patricia Clarkson, Erik Per Sullivan, John Speredakos, Christopher Wynkoop
Producer: Jeff Levy-Hinte
Screenplay: Larry Fessenden
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Released: 2/13/02 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Director Larry Fessenden's Wendigo proves effective to a point, then digresses when it betrays its own logical storyline.
Wendigo is part suspense, part mystery, but mainly becomes a tedious exercise when Fessenden explains away his
built-up suspense with a downright silly supernatural fable. It spoils an intriguing study into the worlds of class warfare and
self-worth and humuliation. Had the film stayed true to its Fargo-like direction without straying into insulting melodrama,
it would be a strong picture to recommend.
The story starts with promise - George McClaren (Jake Weber) and his family, wife Kim (Patricia Clarkson) and son
Miles (Erik Per Sullivan), hit a deer en route to their vacation home in upstate New York during winter. The now killed
deer was the target of a group of local hunters led by Otis (John Speredakos), who is angry about George's perceived
carelessness while driving. A nasty and uncomfortable exchange ensues, one which leaves an ominous feeling of danger
on the McClaren family. It just so happens that Otis uses a road that passes through their vacation cottage's property.
When bullet holes begin to appear at the house, George suspects Otis is out for more than just revenge.
The movie's title refers to an Indian legend involving a beast of nature - part tree, part animal - that stalks those who
disrupt nature's balance. A tiny figure of "Wendigo" is given to Miles by a mysterious Indian, who imparts the story of
its origins and power, when the family ventures into town for supplies. The remainder of the film is seen through the
eyes of Miles' imagination that becomes reality after a tragedy involving George points to Otis as his offender.
That Wendigo uses both fantasy and an intense character study of two types of people - city dweller v. country folk -
lends itself to a credibility that it summarily dismisses as the storyline veers out of control. Fessenden shows talent in
constructing a world that slips in and out of the natural and supernatural, with quiet, evocative, and at times with desperation
to communicate danger, but his willingness to pander to his own sense of natural justice hurts his film's overall composition.
Wendigo is a worthy effort for most of its running length, but an out-of-place conclusion abandons its previous effectiveness.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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