Film Forum

“The kindness – and unkindness – of strangers looms large in the life of a feral male prostitute in SAUVAGE / WILD, an incredibly frank and involving immersive portrait impressively anchored by an in-every-frame performance from Félix Maritaud. Gut-punchingly authentic with radiant moments of tenderness where least expected, intimate yet not voyeuristic, this first feature by writer-director Camille Vidal-Naquet gets the balance between looking-for-love and settling-for-sensation exactly right… Tapping into a reservoir of physical grace, Maritaud, who appeared in BPM, projects a deep range of emotions, going with the flow with such magnanimity that (his) eventual flashes of anger are as unsettling as they are expressive.” – Lisa Nesselson, Screen Daily

Presented with support from the R.G. Rifkind Foundation Endowment for Queer Cinema

FRANCE    2018    99 MINS.    IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES    STRAND RELEASING

Reviews

“Raw and Riveting. Stunningly shot. Maritaud, so good in BPM, achieves a wrenching poignancy… (making) Leo’s yearning palpable and profound.”
– Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“A haunting character study of a young hustler named Leo (played by the amazing Félix Maritaud) and his quest for fulfillment amidst the detritus of his life.”
– Michael Musto, NewNowNext

“A riotous and sensual ode to freedom. A work of rare vitality. The film neither demonizes sex as perverted or mindless, nor eulogizes it as the pinnacle of pleasure. SAUVAGE / WILD’s complex representation of love - from the ephemeral connections with sexual partners, to intense romantic passion - is less conspicuous than its frank portrayal of sex work and gay sexuality, but it is just as nuanced.”
– Elena Lazic, Sight & Sound
 
“A powerful portrait... recalls the unmoored, asphalt-pounding energy of [Agnes] Varda’s seminal 1985 character study VAGABOND. Refreshingly straightforward and unvarnished… [Lead actor Félix] Maritaud [is] extraordinary.”
– Guy Lodge, Variety