PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In the wake of last year’s bizarre events chock-full of wild conspiracy theories and unnerving facts, there’s still a sense of uncertainty lingering in the air. This makes the prospect of a dystopian society eerily relatable. And, for this reason alone, the upcoming release of Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s feature debut, The Wanting Mare, could not have been more perfect. However, rather than take a Mad Max approach to portraying an apocalyptical future, Bateman forms his own artistic dystopian fantasy world with elegance and heart.
Bateman’s story opens with a fantasy world called Anmaere and a woman named Moira (Jordan Monaghan: True Blood series) who resides on the outskirts of a city known as Whithren. Coming from a unique lineage of women, Moira dreams of how Anmaere was before a long-forgotten cataclysmic event birthed the world she knows. Only experiencing it through REM sleep, Moira comes to miss a version of Anmaere that existed long before her time. And this makes her yearn for a change from her present-day desolate reality plagued with heatwaves. And her only hope is a passage across the sea to the mythical wintry city of Levithen.
Unfortunately, travel between lands can only be done for those who hold a ticket to board a cargo vessel that arrives once a year to transport wild horses from Whithren to Levithen. And tickets to this mythical winter wonderland are a highly valued rare commodity. Unfolding as a slow burn, The Wanting Mare follows Moira as she endlessly passes her time by exploring her city and frequents an empty warehouse where she finds solace in music. However, when one musical night erupts in gunfire, Moira crosses paths with a wounded thief named Lawrence who’s portrayed by this film’s very own writer/director.
Working both sides of the camera, Bateman compliments Monaghan’s performance as the duo builds believable onscreen romantic chemistry critical to the film’s final act. However, due to a shaky foundation, lack of character backstory and no indicated elapsed time, The Wanting Mare loses ground just as it’s about to take off.
Focusing heavily on VFX, which nearly comes across as a gimmick for indie audiences, The Wanting Mare almost loses itself in its own dream-like world. Failing to produce enough dialogue in the first act to really dig into the struggle for survival in this dystopia society, some plot flow becomes disjointed and convoluted. A more in-depth explanation of Lawrence’s backstory and clarification of his early motives could have also solidified a stronger foundation for plot development. The film’s beautiful CGI infused visuals were largely produced in a New Jersey warehouse, which certainly is an impressive feat. However, there are more working components that could have helped this story along.
Jumping ahead by an unknown number of decades with no immediate indication of elapsed time, The Wanting Mare nearly loses me altogether. Nevertheless, the story plunges forward introducing new names in what is still a dystopia. Although their characters could have been more thoroughly fleshed out as the ones before them, Yasamin Keshtkar (Lush 2015) as Eirah and Edmond Cofie (The Circus Animals 2012) as Hadeon bring genuine onscreen chemistry that artistically resembles that of Moira and Lawrence in the first act. After some truths are revealed following a deadly incident, Moira (now portrayed by Christine Kellogg-Darrin: Instinct 2018) and Lawrence ( now portrayed by Josh Clark: McFarland, USA 2015) are brought back on screen for one stunning final act.
Despite almost losing itself in its own hazy dream-like visuals, Bateman’s feature debut does showcase some mesmerizing arthouse elements. Although risk was taken with underdeveloped details, I cannot help but respect some of Bateman’s artistic approach. Accompanied by a beautiful musical score from composer Aaron Boudreaux, this dramatic slow burn builds to a worthwhile finale rewarding artistic cinema aficionados. After an unforeseeable plot twist, The Wanting Mare takes a road less traveled with a heart-wrenching ending that’ll leave you breathless. Gripes aside, this project, which was over five years in the making, has heart and passion that shows from beginning to end. And, considering Bateman was part of the visual effects team for The Green Knight (Dev Patel: Chappie 2015), this modest budgeted cinematic imagery has me that much more excited to see the upcoming A24 release.
While the Arthurian feature isn’t expected to release until later this summer, indie lovers won’t have to wait nearly as long for Bateman’s romantic drama dystopian debut. The Wanting Mare will be available on February 5 in select theaters and VOD.
