Blowhorn for a cause

Some movies aspire to be art, while others take a path toward propaganda. Sadly, the recently released film The Wolf and the Lion chose the latter road.

The movie tells the story of two orphaned animals, a lion cub named Dreamer and his compadre, a snow wolf pup called Mozart, who are being raised by recent college grad Alma on a remote island in Quebec.

The film was directed by Gilles de Maistre, a French filmmaker, and written by his wife, Prune. The two are animal rights activists, and unfortunately their zeal for their cause shines too brightly as the movie seems more interested in making certain statements about animal cruelty than it does with delivering a coherent and meaningful story.

The one high spot for the film is that the footage of the animals’ relationship is adorable, and had the picture focused more on their antics with the beauty of Canada as a backdrop it could have been the family film it is being marketed as.

Instead, it is a collage of poor acting, forced dialogue, and a painfully clear message—animals are good and pure (while people aren’t) and should not be taken from the native environments (and especially not put in circuses!).

I hope the film, which is receiving poor critical reviews, will not do well and will encourage filmmakers to focus more on the idea of telling good stories than on being blowhorns for their causes. Unfortunately, this film will likely find an audience as many people today seem more interested in the message of their art than its quality.