Emotions Pour Out in the Trailer for Paul Dano’s Directorial Debut, Wildlife

The age of Jake Gyllenhaal, Leading Man, rolls on. Just a day after the actor was announced as being in talks for the major role of the villain Mysterio in the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, he appears again in what looks like a powerhouse dramatic performance in the first trailer for Wildlife.

Alongside Carey Mulligan, this looks like exactly the kind of film tailor-made for award show acting nominations. From a screenplay by actor Paul Dano and his partner Zoe Kazan, Wildlife is Dano’s directorial debut, after memorable acting performances in films such as There Will be Blood and Swiss Army Man. The available synopsis is short, but it gets the idea across:

In 1960, a boy watches his parents’ marriage fall apart after they move to Montana, and his mother falls in love with another man.

Simple enough, but plenty of room for bitter recriminations and tearful arguments, for sure. The boy in question is actor Ed Oxenbould, who appeared as the title character in 2014’s critically savaged Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It’s hard to miss that for his directorial debut, Dano is telling the story of another young man who looks very much like a young Paul Dano. Perhaps there’s an autobiographical element to this tale? Either way, the imagery looks undeniably beautiful.

Wildlife premiered at Sundance this year and hits theaters in what is presumably a limited capacity on Oct. 19, 2018. Check out the trailer below.