“Wolfkin” (2022) brings the werewolf story into the twenty-first century. Single mom Elaine Bailly (Louise Manteau) does not know what to do when her son, ten-year old Martin (Victor Dieu), starts hurting his classmates. She has no family though she has a supportive coworker/boyfriend, Arnaud. She takes Martin to meet his paternal family, the Urwalds, who are elated to discover that the estranged Patrick (Benjamin Ramon), Martin’s dad, had a child. The Urwalds’ traditions disturb Elaine though Martin is blossoming under their care. Will she agree to let Martin continue the Urwald legacy or side with Patrick’s decision to reject them?

“Wolfkin” is an ambitious movie. It takes tropes hitherto fore only used in vampire movies like “The Invitation” (2022) and applies them to werewolves. Lycanthrope films are often solitary struggles to prevent the beast from being unleashed. This film departs from the infection model and moves to a hereditary illness one, which feels overdue since wolves do travel in packs. Vampire wealth needs no explanation because everyone is familiar with the concept of generational wealth and eternal life. This film pairs this concept of wealth with werewolves, and while I ate it up, it felt less coherent. They own a lot of land in Luxembourg, are winemakers and well-respected members of the community, especially their parish Catholic Church, which leads to a lot of stained-glass imagery with Jesus as the vineyard owner then segues to more brutal and sanguine religious iconography. The original title is “Kommunioun,” which translates to communion, which is pivotal to the denouement. In communion, wine is a symbol of Jesus’ blood.

To be fair, I’m not Catholic, but I am a Jesus follower so I could be missing something. The line between werewolves and blood is straight, but the link between werewolves and vineyards feels less instinctual except in an anti-Christ vibe, which did not feel like the intention. Elaine rejects religion and tries to dissuade Martin from participating so it feels like a rejection of the religious practice of Christianity, not Elaine sensing a demonic perversion of the gospel, which works better with the story as it is presented. In terms of theology, Jesus died for others whereas the Urwalds’ health and wealth are predicated on sacrificing others, but in terms of the religious imperialist practice, the Urwalds are faithful practitioners. The film would have been stronger if it further developed the religious/werewolf diagram more. There are lots of wolf references in the Bible. Matthew 7:15-20 would have tied everything together, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“Wolfkin” teases a lot of provocative themes that feel germane, but the follow through is uneven: stigma of single motherhood, abuse versus discipline, undocumented immigrants, gender roles, the inherent violence of being wealthy, nature versus societal roles. Initially the explicit attribution of Martin’s anti-social behavior to his mother seemed dated then I remembered that women get blamed for everything so fair. Abuse versus discipline worked because Elaine coddled Martin too much. I do not even recall her telling Martin not to do something other than go to church so when grandma starts laying down the law and considering that the audience knows more than Elaine about Martin’s condition, the discipline would only be alarming if Martin was an ordinary child. As the Urwald family reveals more, the abuse versus discipline transforms into societal expectations versus nature and the inherent violence of being wealthy. The Urwald family is not embracing their nature, which would mean abandoning the privileges of being human such as having a home. Instead they suppress their wolf side and cling to their humanity for the personal benefits. A human being who denies a part of them becomes a monster, which emerges in different ways. Initially gender disparity can be excused by the theory that only the men are werewolves, but the movie reveals that there are women who have the same condition and do not get treated as well as Elaine, an outsider. Status for women rests on their ability to give birth to children.

Elaine was not a great protagonist. The draw of choosing Elaine as the protagonist is to explore the idea of primal sex—Adam and Eve in nature, bestiality, unconditional mother’s love, incest. It teases on the inherent fear of sexual attraction-not really knowing who the other person is and the mystery of the genetic makeup of your own progeny. If Elaine was American, she would be a fifty-two percenter or would say that she is a progressive yet still date a person who openly supported Presidon’t. If I am being charitable, she is in shock and disbelief about her situation, but I’m not charitable. She is another example of a woman glorified for being willing to do anything for love for her lover or her son, and her individual identity is mutable depending on what they need, not independent. I wish that the filmmakers adhered to a more bleak, amoral version of her like Martins uncle’s baby mama (wife?), Tatiana (Yulia Chernyshkova). If Jean, Martin’s uncle, was not a sexual harasser, Elaine was more than fine with going along with the paternal grandparents’ plan and letting Martin become a demented aristocrat if he was happy. She dressed like them, was willing to sacrifice all her past relationships and commit some unspeakable acts. As “Wolfkin” unfolds, Elaine becomes more passive and allows Martin to take the lead.

Normally I hate films centered around little boys, but it felt as if Martin should have been the main character, not Elaine, because his emotional journey with his family felt richer than hers. From Martin’s perspective, I would be interested in finding out if he felt a bit betrayed at how quickly his mother allows others to love bomb then physically hurt him, indoctrinate him into engaging in some horrible acts and be emotionally pained at the idea that his mother thought he was a monster like the Urwalds. There is one poignant scene which reveals that Martin is scared and capable of empathy. He must choose a side: human beings who reject him, loup garous who will corrupt him or wolves which will separate him from the only person who loved him for himself.

The real horror is not will Martin become a werewolf, but will he perpetuate the family’s sins against women, lower classes, and his future children to preserve his heritage? Nature, not his mother, becomes the redeeming force in Martin’s life. How very Rosseauian to make the inherently good opposition as nature versus the Urwalds.

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Big surprises: Carla is a sister, not the maid, correct? When I heard the radio broadcast about undocumented immigrants, I guessed that it would be important, but I was still shocked when the Urwalds took Martin hunting for them! The estate’s meat processing facility was so matter of fact—not gruesome, just how human beings would look if they were treated like an animal to be consumed.  Talk about dehumanizing! Then I figured out that Tatiana was probably an immigrant given a choice to die or have a child. I do not know enough about Brussels versus Luxembourg to draw any symbolic meaning about the locations.

Elaine was sketchy. Is it normal for a parent to allow a child to suck their finger after a certain age? Yes, it made for great suspense regarding whether Martin would bite her, but it was weird. Worst girlfriend ever-damn, Arnaud had your back, and you let your son eat him. The minute that Martin turned, I’m calling the Urwalds to pick my kid up. If Martin did not start following his daddy’s example to go full wolf, she would have happily committed human rights violations. She only burned that shit down as backup. Patrick must be pissed about the whole thing. He said that he was no contact with his family, and you still brought Martin to them, but to be fair, Patrick, you could have worn a condom and warned her. Informed consent! That is why you got shot.

Martin rejected the Urwalds because they had him on a diet. He was like “Fuck that shit. I’ll eat and do what I want.” He never liked the human world on his best day. Grandma did not play, and a lifetime under her rule would get old. Also he did like his mom and knew that she would not fare well under Jean’s reign. Still Martin is an asshole. He let them mess with his mom too long.

I am somewhat disappointed that grandpa did not kick his son’s ass. I wanted to see that fight. Elaine gets points for holding her own against Jean.

So hear me out. “Wolfkin” reminded me of a horror version of “Gilmore Girls,” or “Wolfkin” as “Gilmore Girls” if it was treated as a dramedy.