The Wanting Mare (2020) Existential, Experimental Sci-Fi with looks to kill for (VOD Review)

The Green Knight was a divisive movie, a personal favourite from last year, for sure, but its often evasive and hallucinatory storytelling alienated much of its potential audience. One key aspect that cut through this tension was the visual effects work. One of the key names behind these visual effects was Nicholas Ashe Bateman, who also has his hand in writing and direction. Ashe makes his directorial feature debut with The Wanting Mare, launching on UK streaming platforms, 2 years after hitting the festival circuit – courtesy of Bulldog Film.

The same perspectives that dogged the Green Knight could be levelled at the Wanting Mare, just as easily. The press release describes the film thusly:

“In the world of Anmaere, north of the city of Whithren, wild horses run through the moorlands and up the coast. These horses are the city’s most valuable export, and as a result are hunted, trapped, sold & shipped across the sea once a year.For those in Whithren, this trade creates exciting possibilities: the chance to escape their constantly sweltering city to head across the sea. Meanwhile, in a small house just north of the city, a line of women pass a single dream through the generations. They inherit it from mother to daughter; a memory of a time where magic and myth were alive in the world“.

Bulldog Film Distribution

I would never directly quote such documentation as, quite simply, it is unprofessional. The reason why I have ignored this personal convention is due to the narrative beats and their execution unfolding in two binary registers. For starters, the city of Whithren is apocalyptic in its despair and enjoys the modern comfort of live music; scenes that rank among the films best, given Bateman’s history on music videos, this is more than understandable. With its multiple time skips (the biggest being 34 years), the narrative is not of this world, it is one of unwaking dreams and obscurities. World Building is traditionally built on the foundations of events, actions and exposition; here, it stands upon the wonderous canvases painted by cinematographer David Io Ross. In essence, this is not an easily digestible or fathomable production, nor is it one that obeys the conventional three-act structure of the science fiction genre it has been pigeonholed into. The Wanting Mare is a difficult film. All of this makes sense once you say that Shane Carruth was previously onboard as a producer.

Allow me to pick a fight for a moment, to tie indie genre filmmaking to one term – unfortunately, it would be “forgettable”. In the swarm of titles released on the VOD or festival circuit nearly every day of the year, it is all too easy for many small scale movies to get lost in the shuffle due to most having little that lingers in the memory. I know this is cynical, however, it is more of a point of contention with the sheer number of productions released every day that makes it incredibly difficult for any new film to stand out from the indie scene. It’d be ridiculous to pick a fight with “the Indie film community”, that’s not what this is. This is relevant to the Wanting Mare as, while it may be alienating, it is far from forgettable. Ironically, aloofness is also a key part of its success.

There are a few tangibles that allow The Wanting Mar to stand out from its much more uniform contemporaries. First is Aaron Boudreaux’s tactile score, which uses the human voice as its main instrument – any traditional instrumentation is much more low key. The score is also a part of that aforementioned world-building toolset. Next is the Nova Scotian shooting location; David Io Ross’s camera gives this very down to earth area an almost otherworldly detach without transforming the town with complex production design to fit the narrative’s needs. With just lighting, wide long angles and a super sweaty cast, Ross openly flirts with greatness. Then there are the horses. Specifically, there’s one unforgettable shot where a horse eats a human carcass. These equine creatures have been captured on camera to look just as other as the landscape. Keep an eye out for David Io Ross, his talent speaks for itself.

While there is enough to capture the attention through the visuals and effectively elevate it above the noise of the genre scene, for many, it will all come back to the opaque narrative. The story is buried deep under experimental filmmaking, meaning this translates into a product that will not have much in the way of cross-over appeal. For most, this will be one to give a wide berth. However, if touchstones like Tarkovsky’s Stalker or – to keep with the indie world – She Dies Tomorrow (2020, Amy Seimetz) & Imitation Girl (2017, Natasha Kermani) mean anything to you, the Wanting Mare is one to keep an eye on.

ROB’S ARCHIVE – THE WANTING MARE (2020)