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‘The Wolf, The Fox, And The Leopard' Review - On The Importance Of Being Human

Our stories are what make us who we are. But what if that is robbed from us and twisted? Does that change who we are, as well? The story of the child raised by animals or non-human entities is a familiar one. Many people of older generations (this writer included) may remember 'Julie of the Wolves,' a novel by Jean Craighead George. Expanded further, many of us remember different versions of The Jungle Book as children. Or maybe you are more linked to the supernatural and connect with Mama. Regardless, the stories of feral children are numerous, but most of them are consumed with nature being human-like in its representation. Despite a title that may seem like that of a child's animated movie, David Verbeek, the writer and director of The Wolf, The Fox, and The Leopard, is certainly not limited in this way, and it is to the benefit of his film. In its opening, Verbeek does not hide his feint. He introduces a young man (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) who is struggling with his place in the world. A voiceover informs us that he believes that he is the main character. This is all preamble to meeting our feral child (Jessica Reynolds), who is known by many names throughout the narrative. As the young man is devoured by the pack of wolves that surround the child, we come to understand that his death is the inciting event for the removal of this child to a more 'civilized world.' From here, the film is divided into chapters, showing her journey from being wild to being hidden in the world and possibly back again. The film borrows from fables but also manages to carve its own path through the human psyche. Pacing issues abound, and it may be difficult for most audiences because there are few, if any, supporting characters that we deeply care about. And yet, the film manages, through the phenomenal performance of Reynolds, to propel itself through the human condition. There is a strange sort of growth that Reynolds manages. As a feral child, she begins the film devoid of language. As she ages and is taught by numerous others, her progression is palpable, vivid, and believable. As anyone who has watched (or read) stories similar to this, this puts her in the upper echelon of physical and vocal actors. Despite this movement, the film smartly leaves you wondering if this is actually a regression. Is she better left alone? Those moments of solitude are punctuated by cinematographer Frank van den Eeden. The care taken in showing the natural world is painstaking, to the point of highlighting the ugliness of the modern world. The decision to show the forest between chapters, combined with pinpoint editing by Matthieu Laclau and Yann-Shan Tsai, wordlessly acknowledges the loss that the protagonist suffers without dwelling unnecessarily. More importantly, The Wolf, The Fox, and The Leopard leaves us wondering what it is to be human. Although hard to understand, she begins with a pack, a community of protection. As she is ripped from this comfortable world, everything begins to change. At first, she is studied by a team of scientists, led by Tanaka (Naomi Kawase). These scenes are literally stark as we transfer from the beautiful wooded area to an antiseptic, white laboratory. Kawase, in her limited screentime, almost makes us wish for a different, happier, maternal film. But this is not to be, because she is removed by a husband-and-wife team (Marie Jung and Nicholas Pinnock), the titular fox and leopard. The chapter in which she is with these new parental figures is perhaps the most challenging of the entire film. As our protagonist has moved from a pack to being a test subject to now a much smaller (and maybe less 'human') community, there is a lot to carry narratively. If this chapter does not hold together, nothing that happens in the final moments will resonate. Luckily, Reynolds, Jung, and Pinnock are more than up to the task. These sequences are sweet, kind, disturbing, upsetting, and rage-inducing in equal measure. Verbeek, as a writer, manages this balance just about perfectly. The result is a final chapter that hits much harder than expected, given the purposefully slow pace. A character's return comes as a pleasant and dark surprise, and Verbeek manages somehow to tie it all together without a hammered home message, leaving us to ponder in the silence as the credits roll. Film has the ability to ponder our largest questions. What does it actually mean to be human? Is that innate in our birth? Is that humanity actually a good thing? The Wolf, The Fox, and The Leopard is not here to answer any of these questions. But it will make you think about them. Is it better to leave well enough alone, or is it our duty to do better, to help with that connection with our own? And who makes that decision, who tells that story? Again, no answers, but Verbeek gave us a lot to think about, and sometimes, that is enough. The Wolf, The Fox, and The Leopard held its World Premiere as a part of the International Narrative Competition section of the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Director: David Verbeek Screenwriter: David Verbeek Rated: NR Runtime: 124m