The werewolf, loup-garou, and the Lycanthrope are back in the brilliant thought-provoking film Wolfkin . Coming from the rich tradition of fiction such as Guy Endore’s 1933 seminal novel The Werewolf of Paris and the 1896 story The Were-wolf by Clemence Housman, this film is in my opinion an essential new addition to the werewolf film canon.
You can lump this film into the abyss of Folk Horror yet its just plain simple a damn good film from top to end credits because it tells an essential human story. Wolfkin (2022) a.k.a. Kommunioun is a Luxembourgian/French/Belgium production; directed by Jacques Molitor. The picture is elegantly shot and paced with true mastery and restraint, as does befit the subject matter of extreme, old-world control and remedy for the modern, uncontrolled animalistic urges.
Taking a cue from Hammer’s The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Wolfkin (2022) reverses the fact that in that film, Leon is conceived in a brutal assault instead you have a tenderly shot sensual copulation scene by a lake. The two lovers Elaine (Louise Manteau) and Patrick (Benjamin Ramon) will figure in the story of the film as it evolves. In the afterglow of mutual pleasure, Patrick kisses his way down to Elaine’s abdomen interspaced with shots of Elaine in bliss with a smile almost demonic on her face. When Patrick reaches her spot just above the belly button he suddenly looks up at her saying “Why didn’t you tell me?”, gets up and walks naked into the forest. Elaine watches him leave as she looks imploringly at the trees. The film then shifts to older Elaine who is now a single mother with a boyfriend and her now-grown son Martin (Victor Dieu) who is still a child conceived out of wedlock.
Elaine works in a busy small restaurant as a server and in what I think is a homage to the final ‘Hamburger’ scene in The Howling (1981), she slings burgers of all types of meats. The orders get messed up and she leaves after a tough day only to find other problems at home. Martin bites other children in acts of unprovoked aggression resulting in his being expelled from his school, Child support people threaten to take him away if they cannot get him under control. Martin’s own birthday party where he gets gifts of toys only to delight in a model of the human figure that he can surgically take apart, he attacks another random child.
Running out of options and sensing her boyfriend cannot really help Elaine swallows her pride and visits Martin’s father’s extremely rich parents. Despite ten years of Martin’s Grandparents Adrienne (Marja-Leena Junker) and Jean (Jules Werner) who did not even know of Martin’s existence they accept him and Elaine as family members and are knowingly willing to help him at this critical time in his life. The opposition is from Patrick’s brother who is an entitled, ultra-aggressive person who resents Elaine coming into their world. His own wife is pregnant and Martin’s existence destroys the significance of his own child who was to carry on the special bloodline.
The film without going into spoilers is filled with images of moments of subtle eroticism such as Martin’s predilection for having his mother’s finger in his mouth when resting to the cruelty of brutally gunning down poachers on the estate. Martin grows more animalistic totally enjoying the meat pies provided by the estate cook Tatania (Yulia Chernyshkova). When he is taken home by Elaine after she finds Martin chained in his father’s old room she makes him pies only to be told they are not the same and have them tossed on the floor. The old-world manifests itself at mealtimes where women are fed different food from the men, Grace is pronounced, and catholic mass is observed along with communion. All this care cannot stop Martin from turning one night into a beast resulting in a brutal death that must be covered up. The monsters without being beasts rear their heads as the film drives very subtly and relentlessly to its poignant end. The giving up of a mother to a mystical tradition and horror is stunning.
The cast, the story, and the direction must be all brilliantly executed in the picture but may turn some off because it is subtitled. Elaine as played by Louise Manteau is gritty resourceful, and restrained yet deeply sensitive to her son’s needs, especially at the conclusion. Martin as played by Victor Dieu is wonderful as the tormented child who is being literally ripped apart by tradition and something he has no control over. His face and body mannerisms especially still remind me of a younger French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud who worked with Francois Truffaut in The 400 Blows (1959) and other pictures.
Wolfkin (2022) a.k.a. Kommunioun is essential viewing as a horror film but also a film. There is gore, especially in the killings and the source of the meat on the estate is revealed in a horrific moment. Full nudity and sensuality are on display in tasteful moments that add to the story. Wolfkin (2022) stands on its own as a benchmark of adult-themed horror. This film stands with The Howling (1981), Ginger Snaps (2000), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and Dog Soldiers (2002) as modern werewolf film classics.
Run, trot, canter, or lope to see this if you can on a screen. The beasts have claws yes but not all have fur on their bodies. The beast must return to its point of origin no matter how much it hurts.
WOLFKIN is available to rent/buy in the USA on Amazon Prime Video
