This month, April Mullen‘s thriller Wander hits on Demand and Digital. The film sports an all-star cast including Aaron Eckhart (Midway, Thank You for Smoking), Katheryn Winnick (“Vikings,” The Dark Tower), Heather Graham (The Hangover, Boogie Nights), and Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Homesman, No Country for Old Men).
As a mixed Anishinaabe Algonquin (Indigenous) director, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Mullen’s latest directorial effort is created in honor of all Indigenous, Black and People of Color who are targeted and have been displaced through border control on stolen land.
It’s a vibrant yet sly neo-noir set in the Southwest, and it’s clear from the noteworthy opening that something is rotten in Denmark, I mean Wander. Whether it’s an unreliable narrator, a mounting conspiracy being kept under wraps, or just a scarily honest truth, the film dabbles in different genres all the while misleading the audience.
Mullen and long-time collaborator Tim Doiron continue to take chances as filmmakers and this is no exception. The go all-in on their latest endeavor and it’s just like Mullen shared in our interview, “if your imagination goes there, why would you deny your voice?“
The visuals are stunning, the camerawork is unique, stylish and add to the paranoia. Also the music, a mix of traditional Native American songs and an eerie score really ups the tension. And the cast is great as Eckhart and Jones command the screen with stunning turns in this New Mexcio-set mystery. With this taut film, Mullen joins contemporaries like Terry Gilliam, Ron Howard and Christopher Nolan. Yes, your read that right, and the text at the end of the credits really say it all: Dreamers Prevail.
Do yourself a favor this holiday season – treat yourself to Wander. But first, allow Ms. Mullen to tell you all about it. We talk about her early acting days, her strides making independent films, the desire to tell unique stories, relating to actors on a personal level, being a cheerleader to her whole crew, working/writing with Doiron, and much, much more!
After getting hired to probe a suspicious death in the small town of Wander, a mentally unstable private investigator becomes convinced the case is linked to the same ‘conspiracy cover up’ that caused the death of his daughter.
Saban Films released WANDER on December 4, 2020. It is currently available in Theaters, On Demand and Digital. April has a lot coming down the pike next year and you can keep up with her on her Twitter and Facebook pages.
