Paul Dano has long been considered one of the best actors of his generation. With Wildlife, he proves himself to be just as powerful a force behind the camera as he is in front of it with this astoundingly assured and absorbing directorial debut.

Taking place in 1960s Montana, the story is told through the perspective of 14-year-old Joe as he quietly watches his parents’ marriage disintegrate before him. Freshly fired from his job, his father Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to take off to help fight a forest fire — a decision that leaves his wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) to slowly unravel before her son, as she tries her best to keep everything afloat.

Shot by world renowned cinematographer Diego Garcia – who will be in attendance at our GEMS screening to receive the ART OF LIGHT Award –Wildlife’s visual style is meticulously crafted in a way that sets an elegantly sparse and melancholy tone that resonates all throughout this achingly beautiful picture.