The Wanting Mare is the kind of movie that reminds me why I love movies so much. It may not necessarily mean it’s a flawless film, but it just goes to show how inspiring and invigorating it can be to see an artist push through their limitations and challenges, and deliver a fresh and inventive vision, whether that be on a big or a small scale. Nicholas Ashe Bateman has largely been known for his work in visual effects for the past several years, but here, he is the writer, director, editor, visual effects supervisor, and he even has a role in the film.
Shot over the course of five years, much of it was filmed in a warehouse utilizing extensive blue screen work, and a handful of on-location shots, most of which had their backgrounds entirely eliminated and replaced with the world of the film. The technical wizardry at play within a minuscule budget is astonishing to see. Sometimes the compositing may seem obvious, but the filmmakers manage to create a world that balances the tactile with the unreal, so that it never feels like an issue. It’s a beautiful film through and through, and it’s one where you can see the passion in every frame.
The film opens with a text explaining that we are in a world called Anmaere, with most of the film taking place in the perpetually hot, poverty stricken, and crime ridden city of Whithren. The coast of that city will have these wild horses that are extremely valuable because they are shipped off once a year to the icy continent of Levithen, where they can be put to work for the folks over there, and a ticket to get on that ship is something that people in Whithren are willing to do almost anything for, so that they can escape.
The plot, if you want to call it that, involves a shared, recurring dream that is passed through a few generations of women, over the course of decades. First from a dying mother to the ears of a newborn baby, who grows up to be Moira (Jordan Monaghan). She wants to leave Whithren behind, but needs a ticket, and to acquire that, she gets the help of an injured gang member she helped heal named Lawrence (Nicholas Ashe Bateman). Although, things prove to be more difficult, complications soon rear their ugly head, and as the two becomes more emotionally connected, their desires fall to the wayside.
Trying to parse the film through its plot beats is a thankless endeavor, as Bateman seems obviously not all concerned with telling this story in a clear and concise manner, opting to focus more on atmosphere, emotion, and creating an evocative visual style that is incredibly transportive. There’s a genuine sense of place, even at its most ethereal. From the grass by the beaches to the grungy alleyways, I felt like I was in a new world, one that has clearly been some kind of obsession for Bateman for who knows how long.
There were many things that I thought about as I watched the film, things that didn’t necessarily have to do with the mechanics of the film itself. That isn’t because I was bored, but because the film encourages thought, it encourages introspection, it encourages you to put yourself in the characters, and feel what they feel. I thought about what it means to have a dream, and the desperate longing we have to achieve those dreams, even when it seems fruitless. I thought about how we all feel the need to escape at some point in our lives. Escape toxic environments, escape small towns with no future, escape for the hope of something better, even if you don’t know what the destination fully encapsulates. The film doesn’t give you answers to these ideas, but it explores them with honesty and humanity.
Some will certainly find The Wanting Mare to be far too slow or far too abstract, and I would certainly understand that. However, I loved it. Even with its fairly short runtime of about 89 minutes, the film is dense in how much it packs so much imagery and ideas in a way that is meant to be challenging, and something you are meant to sit with and absorb. I cannot fathom how much more impactful this would have been on the big screen, but even watching it on my laptop, I was still so thoroughly engrossed in its world and its character. It’s a lyrical and meditative experience, that is as mystifying as it is moving, like I found myself invading another person’s dream, being enveloped by their hopes, fears, and insecurities, yet finding solace and hope within that as well. Considering the fact that this was done out of the Hollywood system with little money and no star power, what Nicholas Ashe Bateman and his cast and crew, particularly the work from his VFX team and cinematographer, David A. Ross, have accomplished here is nothing short of monumental. There are fewer and fewer times these days when I feel good about the state of cinema and it’s future, but The Wanting Mare proves that there is still magic to be found if you look at the right places.
The Wanting Mare opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on February 5th.