Wander: A Movie With A Message We Don't Need

It seems that conspiracy theories are running rampant nowadays. Nowhere is this more apparent than the attack on the Capitol led by Q'Anon conspiracy theorists and right-wing wackos. So if you're going to make a movie about a fella obsessed with conspiracies...you better be a lot more careful than Wander.

The Setup

Aaron Eckhart stars as Arthur Bretnik, a conspiracy nut living on the fringes and haunted by the unsolved murder of his daughter. But when Bretnik is charged with investigating another murder with possible ties to her daughter's case, he dives headfirst into a mass conspiracy.

Before I dive into why this movie is irresponsible, in my opinion, I'm going to do two things. The first is a major spoiler warning because I'm going to discuss the end of the film. The second is a note that the film kinda leaves the ending up for interpretation.

Like most movies of its ilk, Bretnik spends the majority of the movie digging for clues, getting into trouble, making connections, and eventually confronting the responsible parties. This is all very well acted by Aaron Eckhart, who captures the manic fervor someone like this would have, and balanced out by Tommy Lee Jones (who seems amused by all of it) and Heather Graham (who is genuinely worried about his mental state). 

All of which leads to violent conclusion where Bretnik believes he's been framed or triumphed. And then movie has a magnificent turn. They undercut everything Bretnik said and experienced. They explain to him what happened, how his medications that he either stopped taking or took too much of can lead to hallucinations, and that he killed innocent people. It's like the movie is stopping to say, these ideas are not the ideas of a well mind. As far as twists go that's fantastic.

Buuuut. We've got a huge problem. And that's the film's final frames. After all of this is revealed, and Bretnik is committed to an institution, two things happen in conjunction. Bretnik begins digging in his body for a transmitter, the thing he said proves what he was saying was true, and Heather Graham's character receives all of his evidence. Sure enough he finds a transmitter and Ms. Graham looks shock by what she's looking at. So after all of that and making Bretnik look crazy and the audience feel dumb for believing him...the movie validates him.

Now you could argue that this all takes places in his mind and is clearly another hallucination to help him justify his life and what he did, but the shot selection, music, and acting all scream victory and vindication. And I honestly can't think of a worse message for a movie to put out at this time. Don't listen to any authorities, because even if no one else gets it, you're right. It's a conspiracy nut's fantasy come true.

Verdict: Skip It

While it shows some early promise, Wander teeters into irresponsible territory. No rating because screw this.