Orange Crush

By Matt White
Contributing Writer

Most modern coming-of-age films can be put into two categories, the virginal and silly or the ugly and hedonistic (think Hanna Montana vs Gummo). They almost never hold any amount of real adolescent truth, and seldom do they seek to explore or understand the lonesome dangerous beauty that is American teendom. Wild Tigers I Have Known is an exception.

Masterfully directed by Cam Archer, Wild Tigers is an honest and sensual look at one American boy’s journey into understanding himself and the quiet brutality of the world around him. 

Logan (the impressive Malcolm Stumpf) is a 13 year old boy who’s in love. He’s in love with ideas, with himself, with the longing that attaches itself to every human upon adolescence. He’s also obsessed with the one thing he can’t honestly attain; a boy at school who’s one of the “popular” kids, but that’s not what the film is about.

It shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a “gay” film, or a “Coming of Age” film. The film is about human loneliness, and universal longing. It’s about what all of us, regardless of our paths or families or social circles feel in the depths and dregs of our beings. It’s also about how we cope with all of that.

Cam Archer and Malcolm Stumpf take you through the daydreams, the deceit, the pitiful beauty of it all. They capture things that we all can relate to, the ineptness of adults, the immaturity of our youthful selves and the suffering that must occur to grow up and to grow to understand it in some way.

Wild Tigers I Have Known is not a coy morality play or a crass social commentary, or a film with any kind of audience-insulting agenda. I suspect that’s why the film makes people uncomfortable. It’s a film that people either love or don’t understand.

The film progresses like a long, sublime, disquieting pretty dream. Fairuza Balk as Logan’s mother is remarkable. She’s able to take us out of Logan’s head and heart and rip us down to earth. Logan’s dream however cannot be stopped.

Visually the film is remarkable and I say this without hesitation, it’s one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. The production design and photography are original, warm, sensuous and disquieting all in the same frame. Archer and his team knew exactly what they were doing, even if they were improving it.

During one almost humiliating scene Logan’s friend Joey, who’s an even bigger social pariah then he, calls Logan and recites a list of “ways to be cool” which translates of course metaphorically into, ways not to be lonely. Logan, who by that point is consumed by his crush, his love, promptly tells the nerdy Joey to call him later.

The Screenplay also written by Cam Archer is poetic and haunting. Logan’s anti-narration is delivered by Mr. Stumpf almost as an extension of an unsent love letter. Like Logan the worlds come across as lankey strangely pretty and achingly sincere. The movie moves on, merging longing into quietly dangerous forays, making Logan’s longing secretly real. There is a palpable tension that hangs in the air.

This film deserves to be seen. It deserves it more then any sequel to last years big and stupid blockbusters. It deserves it more then any pseudo art film.

Wild Tigers I Have Known is about dreams, the dangerous dreams we have when we are just realizing we’re not mere children anymore. The dreams we have before we “grow up” get jobs we hate, and forget how to have them.

Most people forget how to dream like this when they grow-up. Fortunately for us, Wild Tigers I Have Known is around to remind us.

Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)