
James has shut himself off from his surroundings, falling into a world of imagination and darkness. Visits with his psychiatrist have proven unhelpful - though he takes a liking to fellow patient, Val. As James begins to rebel against his single mother, he ventures into the night where he meets a mysterious kid who welcomes him into an eccentric city. Relationships are put to the test as James navigates unfamiliar territory, wrestling with the reality of his own personal wild... (Full plot summary below)
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James has shut himself off from his surroundings, falling into a world of imagination and darkness. Visits with his psychiatrist have proven unhelpful - though he takes a liking to fellow patient, Val. As James begins to rebel against his single mother, he ventures into the night where he meets a mysterious kid who welcomes him into an eccentric city. Relationships are put to the test as James navigates unfamiliar territory, wrestling with the reality of his own personal wilderness.
Leave your thoughts about All the Wilderness.
| Blu-ray.comBrian OrndorfMore of a demo reel than a complete picture, watching the helmer forgo a plot to perfect his lighting, plasticizing the rise of adolescent awareness. |
| Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyAll the Wilderness seems tailor-made to play to the actor's strengths — Johnson's script is as lean as Smit-McPhee, both proving adept at doing more with less. |
| Common Sense MediaJeffrey M. AndersonMany young filmmakers tell somewhat similar coming-of-age stories about lost characters, but Johnson allows the movie to become a place that his young hero can get lost in. |
| We Got This CoveredAlexander LoweDespite being Michael Johnson's debut, The Wilderness Of James seems like the work of a veteran director, as it deals with one boy's struggles in a heartfelt and powerful way. |
| New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMr. Johnson doesn’t give fateful weight to the breadcrumbs that guide James forward. Glancing encounters and faltering conversations unfold lightly and with a visual seductiveness that the cinematographer, Adam Newport-Berra, crescendos in the film’s drifting, transformative middle section. |
| CinemalogueTodd Jorgenson... too slight and formulaic to have much of an impact. |
| SF WeeklyJonathan KieferSomeone ought to get Kodi Smit-McPhee a comedy. A dark one, of course. |
| The PlaylistKevin JagernauthAll The Wilderness may ultimately be hindered by a narrow scope, but within that view, Johnson gets pretty much every detail right. |
| AV ClubMike D'AngeloNothing even remotely wild touches this generic indie movie, which embraces every imaginable cliché in depicting the emotional travails of a sensitive kid in mourning. There isn’t a wolf in it, nor a fox, nor a hog, nor much of anything else. Maybe a chicken. |
| Fan The FireSam BatheThe opening ad closing 20 minutes prove difficult but what comes in between is exciting and unexpected, symbolising the excitement and difficulty of discovering who you are. |