Title: All the Wilderness

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Virginia Madsen, Evan Ross, Isabelle Fuhrman and Danny DeVito

While looming death may offer feelings of solace and redemption for those struggling with the mounting pressures in their lives, the harrowing effects their passing leaves on their loved ones may cause even more distressing problems than it solves. The traumatic consequences of a person’s death on their heartbroken family is grippingly and rivetingly examined in first-time feature film writer and director Michael Johnson’s new drama, ‘All the Wilderness,’ which is set to be released on Friday in theaters and On Demand. The filmmaker, who impressively adapted his 2010 short story, ‘Charmed,’ into the movie, intriguingly created a passionately complex teen protagonist who’s agonizingly contending with his father’s unexpected death, mainly by finding comfort within his own thoughts about the true meaning of life

‘All the Wilderness’ follows the intense emotional and social transition period for reclusive Portland teen, James Charm (Kodi-Smit-McPhee), who has shut himself out from his surroundings and the people who care about him, most notably his mother, Abigail (Virginia Madsen). The adolescent is struggling to come to terms with his father’s death several months earlier, but to no avail-he instead relies on finding more comfort in his world of imagination and darkness than in his sessions with the psychiatrist (Danny Devito) his mother insists he attends. James even adamantly protests at his mother’s idea of attending a school for gifted teens, even though he finds solace in reading poems and books from such acclaimed authors as Herman Melville and Carl Sandburg, as well as listening to classical music.

After continuously rebelling against his mother’s wishes and determination to help him, in part by chronicling his brooding thoughts about death in his journal, the sensitive and creative teen unexpectedly finds solace in his blossoming relationship with a girl he meets in the doctor’s waiting room, Val (Isabelle Fuhrman). After also starting a friendship with a musician he first saw playing the piano outside of the clinic, Harmon (Evan Ross), who continuously brings James around the city at night, in an effort to show him there’s more to life outside of his sheltered existence, James begins to recover as he changes his outlook on the world.

After initially delving into James’ cryptic and dark personality in ‘Charm,’ Johnson powerfully and effortlessly translated the emotionally mysterious and misunderstood protagonist onto the screen in ‘All the Wilderness.’ While the filmmaker offered little understanding into the troubled teen’s personality and motives until James felt more comfortable speaking with his mother and Val later in the plot, the character’s self-destructive nature is enthralling explored as he tries to find someone who completely and unquestionably understands him. The first-time writer-director also intriguingly emphasizes how James’ harrowing eccentricities are amplified after his father’s death, such as predicting when those around him will die, from his classmate to his pet hamster, an obsession he uses to shy away from unwarranted connections and communications.

Johnson rightfully cast the Australian-born Smit-McPhee to play the troubled and perplexing, yet equally relatable and entrancing, James, as he naturally embraced the teen’s drive to transcend popular American ideas about how people, especially teens, should cope with death. While the actor endearingly emphasized his character’s motivations in trying to placate his mother’s concerns about readjusting back into society and school, Smit-Mcphee was equally as thoughtful and intent on showcasing the teen’s urge to finally explore the city uninhibitedly with Harmon. Whether he was also contending with his unease at pursuing a romantic connection with Val, or struggling with his apprehension about the will to continue living after his father’s death, Smit-Mcphee instilled James with a riveting perspective about the meaning of life throughout his entire exhilarating and identity-defining journey in ‘All the Wilderness.’

Besides rightfully casting the versatile Smit-McPhee to captivatingly showcase James’ emotionally gripping arc and natural embracement of the protagonist’s harrowing struggles throughout the drama, Johnson also justly collaborated with intriguing production designer, David Storm, to create the teen’s volatile world. The writer-director, who set the drama in his hometown of Portland, as its unique landscape was influential in how he views the world around him, worked with the designer to starkly contrast the two worlds James has infused himself in.

Storm captivatingly decorated an attractive and welcoming remote cabin for James and Abigail to live in, which is where they spend most of their time together in the film. The rustic and open layout perfectly highlighted Abigail’s determination to reconnect with her son, and finally understand his distressing emotions and behavior following his father’s death. The designer also intriguingly crafted the title wilderness out of an equally inviting and menacing area of woods behind the mother and son’s house, which served James with inspiration for his thoughts about how people should approach and view life and death. The ample and looming trees, combined with the endless trails that are overridden by logs, leaves and other debris, intriguingly represent James’ ideas about life and death, and his inability to distinguish the differences between the two. The cabin and its surrounding woods represent the teen’s sanctuary and personal prison, as he struggles to figure out whether he wants to improve his life, or continue isolating and destructing his relationships and potentially bright future.

By grippingly and enthrallingly developing a complex and intricate teen who was illusively and inconspicuously contending with his father’s unexpected death, mainly by finding solace within his own thoughts about what it means to truly be alive, Johnson created a riveting and enticing debut feature film. Combining Smit-McPhee’s captivating portrayal of the reclusive James, who enthrallingly sought comfort in his growing relationships with Harmon and Val, with the meaningful locations Storm rivetingly utilized to showcase the protagonist’s ever-evolving feelings, ‘All the Wilderness’ is a gratifying examination into the deep-rooted emotional struggles of a troubled teen who has long since lost his willpower to truly live or die.

Technical: B

Written by: Karen Benardello