Wilderness

A family arrives on a hill and squats an empty house. Pa is a restless soul who is addicted to adventure, Ma is an equally capricious eccentric with vague artistic ambitions. Their ‘spawn’, Brother and Sister, are dragged along by their parents through a chaotic and nomadic family life. But to make up for the leaking roof and their growling stomachs, there’s a tight bond and a life close to nature. All the same, something is brewing beneath the family’s charming simplicity and wilfulness. Their parents’ loathing of conformity inflicts deep wounds (sometimes literally) on Brother and Sister. When does a free and unbounded upbringing tip over into neglect? Perhaps, when they finally go their own way, Sister and Brother will be taken in a very different direction from that of their parents.

‘Wilderness’ is a family portrait about extreme poverty and the decision to shape your own life, even if that sets you in opposition to those who are closest to you. Mariën makes us reflect on ethical dilemmas, rich versus poor, city versus nature, and the way that our choices influence others.