Wildcat — Official Trailer

added: Wed, Mar 13th '24

"Stranger Things" breakout star Maya Hawke, who recently lent her voice to "Anxiety" in the upcoming Pixar sequel "Inside Out 2," now has the opportunity to collaborate with her father, Ethan Hawke, in this new biographical drama.

Check out the official trailer for "Wildcat," a new film directed and co-written by Ethan Hawke and starring Maya Hawke, portraying the iconic 1950s American novelist Flannery O'Connor.

Set in the years leading up to O'Connor's acclaimed 1952 debut novel "Wise Blood," the film delves into her early life as she grapples with lupus. Despite her physical challenges and chronic pain, O'Connor is depicted wrestling with her aspirations as a young female writer amidst resistance from her deeply traditional and religious mother, portrayed by Laura Linney.

This dreamy portrayal captures the formative years of O'Connor before she rises to prominence as one of America's great Southern Gothic writers. Along the way, she confronts societal norms and faces criticism from literary circles skeptical of her Gothic style and themes of faith and redemption.

"Wildcat," which garnered positive reviews at last year's Telluride Film Festival, draws particular praise for Maya Hawke and Laura Linney's performances. The ensemble cast also includes Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Cooper Hoffman, Steve Zahn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Alessandro Nivola, and Willa Fitzgerald.

Catch "Wildcat" in select theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Austin on May 3rd, with additional cities to follow throughout May.

synopsis:
Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites the audience to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O'Connor's mind as she ponders the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In 1950, Flannery (Maya Hawke) visits her mother Regina (Laura Linney) in Georgia when she is diagnosed with lupus at twenty-four years old. Struggling with the same disease that took her father's life when she was a child and desperate to make her mark as a great writer, this crisis pitches her imagination into a feverish exploration of belief. As she dives deeper into her craft, the lines between reality, imagination, and faith begin to blur, allowing Flannery to ultimately come to peace with her situation and heal a strained relationship with her mother.

directed by Ethan Hawke

starring Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Cooper Hoffman, Steve Zahn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Alessandro Nivola, Willa Fitzgerald

release date May 3, 2024 (in select theaters, LA and NY; other cities to follow)