Wildling

Anna has spent her life in a secluded home, her world carefully shaped by a dominant guardian who feeds her a grim fairy tale about the outside. When she finally steps beyond the door, the landscape she encounters is stranger and colder than anything she has imagined. Truth seems fragile as lies, and every new encounter tests what she has been taught to accept as real. The story marries gothic atmosphere with modern dread, using stark imagery and intimate character work to heighten the sense of threat. As Anna moves from captivity toward an uncertain future, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, without losing herself.

Directed by Fritz Böhm from an original screenplay co written with Florian Eder, Wildling arrived in 2018 as a moody blend of horror and fantasy. Bel Powley stars as Anna, with Liv Tyler as Ellen Cooper and Brad Dourif as Daddy.

Critics highlighted Powley's performance and the film's eerie mood, while opinions on pacing were mixed. Viewers are invited to ponder themes of captivity, identity, and the blurry line between myth and reality, set against a hunt for truth in a deceptive world. The cast and atmosphere carry the movie through slow stretches.

Box office details for Wildling reflect a limited release and a modest theatrical footprint, with most of its audience catching it through streaming or selective venues. It did not become a major box office draw, which is common for niche horror projects of this kind.

Among horror aficionados Wildling has a small but steady following for its mythic imagery and stark character dynamics. The contrast between the cocoon like upbringing and the harsh outside world echoes in conversations about power, control, and female autonomy in modern genre cinema. While not a household name, discussions often note its visual style and the unusual pairing of fairy tale sensibility with brutal realism.