Wolf Children

Animated werewolf drama from the Japanese countryside! In post-war Japan, a young student falls in love with a boy who can turn into a wolf. When the couple later have two children, they inherit their father’s ability to shapeshift into a wolf. At first the little family lives a quiet life in the city and tries to hide their secret, but after a tragic incident the mother decides to move to the countryside for the safety of the children. Unfortunately, things don’t turn out exactly as planned.

Wolf Children is a beautifully animated story spanning 13 years, and describing different kinds of love. It also deals with topics like the difficulties of being different and what happens when children are allowed to make their own choices. This classic animé film defies genre conventions and is likely to exceed your expectations, whether you expect a teary-eyed love drama or an action-fuelled werewolf thriller. Art-educated Mamoru Hosada paints his werewolf universe with an eye for the little details as well as the grand compositions.

Wolf Children was the opening film at Films From the South 2012, and won both the Audience Award and the Silver Mirror award that year.

Ed.

Director

Mamoru Hosada (b. 1967) is a Japanese animator and director. He studied oil painting at the Kanazawa College of Art, and this is clearly reflected in his films. He made his breakthrough with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), which won many awards both in Japan and abroad. Belle (2012) is his sixth feature.

This film is part of