Wild (2018)

Directed by: Luc Enting | 80 minutes | documentary | Narrator: André van Duin

Wild and really rugged nature is scarce in our busy and tidy little country. The Veluwe is one of the places where the simultaneously harmonious and often merciless hand of Mother Nature still partly determines daily life (albeit with people in the background). ‘Wild’ is a pleasant cinematic introduction to a number of prominent Veluwe residents. Director Luc Enting was given access to various sub-areas that are not or hardly accessible to tourists, so that he could observe the many animal species from Veluwe in peace.

Most attention is paid to an illustrious trio: the red deer, the fox and the wild boar. This results in equally beautiful and impressive images of deer bucks fighting for the favor of the female fair and loudly bellowing, intimate family shots of sizable boar families and beautiful shots of foxes hunting well-hidden mice against the backdrop of a snow-covered landscape. In the wake of these main protagonists, we also become acquainted with a variety of other animal and plant species that are at home in the Veluwe. Think of the colorful kingfisher, the heat-loving sand lizard, the elegant buzzard, the industrious black woodpecker and the herculean-looking stag beetle (the largest beetle in our country) to a Dutch insect.

In terms of form, director Luc Enting has opted for an already tried and tested format. Chronologically, the story follows the rhythm of the seasons. Although that approach is reflected in more nature films and can therefore not be called very original, it does work. The film is put together by one of the country’s most famous comedians André van Duin. He performs his task fairly well, but sometimes commits silly jokes or slightly disturbing examples of natural chauvinism. For example, he exaggerates a little bit with his claim that the Veluwe is ‘the largest contiguous nature reserve in Western Europe’.

Unlike older nature films, which mainly record ecological processes and animal behavior in the most neutral way possible, many more modern nature docs usually also aim to make real characters of the animal protagonists. This is often done by giving them names or attributing semi-human qualities. ‘Wild’ is also suffused with a somewhat anthropomorphic sauce, which sometimes balances on the edge of credibility.

The power of ‘Wild’ ultimately lies in the beautiful images that highlight landscape processes and the intimate lives of animals. They show the Veluwe as a rugged and almost un-Dutch nature reserve. Fortunately, that visual beauty is enough to largely trump the film’s somewhat weak points.