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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The third film that I will be covering at South by Southwest (SXSW) is a thriller short film written and directed by Rebekka Johnson and Kate Nash titled, Wild Bitch. It is not yet rated, but with its vulgar language and mature themes, I would give it an R-rating.
I will be discussing some spoilers in this review, as the title of this article suggests.
Plot Synopsis
According to the SXSW website, here is the synopsis for Rebekka Johnson and Kate Nash’s thriller short, Wild Bitch.
A local news story about the effects of deforestation on a nearby suburb takes a dark turn when the mousy housewife from the interview lures the reporter into the woods with a promise of a scoop. As they go deeper and deeper into the forest, the housewife reveals details about her dark past that leads to a deadly confrontation. The reporter goes to desperate measures to save her life and is compelled to take on the housewife’s cause, leaving both of them forever changed.
SXSW
Discussion
Wild Bitch is a neat short film that switches between different cinematographic styles. Melanie Fisher — or Fischer? — (Nash) is a news reporter who aspires to make it big in her field. She covers an incident that happened to a woman named Barb (Johnson), whose husband, or rather ex-husband, Jerry (Daved Wilkins), had gone missing. Barb takes Melanie and her cameraman, Rich (Slocum), into the woods, where an unseen beast lurks.
The short film provides, via the two female leads, an ecosophical message. As Guattari theorizes, there are three ecologies: our mental/ psychological/ personal, our social, and our environmental. We have Melanie who plays Diner Dash during her search for a huge scoop just so she can get a sense of control. Meanwhile, Barb has often been controlled by Jerry at home, almost never doing anything without their say so. They do possess some differences in these respects, but they learn to bond over their desire for autonomy as women. Hence, the title, Wild Bitch.
However, let’s play with semantics here, with “bitch” meaning a female dog. It could be suggested that Barb’s unseen animal could be a wolf rather than a coyote. Not revealing the physical appearance of the animal could also just imply that there is a more “wild” inside of all women. We see this tested a few times with the men of the film: Rich calling Melanie a misogynistic slur, Jerry being the typical bad partner, and the “tool” (Smith) trying to make sexual advances at the women. To avoid mansplaining, I will leave it at that.
The Cast and Crew of Wild Bitch
Wild Bitch stars co-writers/directors, Johnson and Nash as Barb and Melanie, the respective protagonists of the short film.
Ptolemy Slocum portrays Rich, Melanie’s cameraman. Daved Wilkins appears as Jerry, Barb’s ex-husband. Chris Smith plays a “tool”.
Lauren Bancroft serves as the producer of the short film. Mark A. Burley serves as the executive producer. Daniel Catt, Larry Latouf, Natalé Olsen, and Christina Rodehou serve as co-producers.
Morgana McKenzie serves as the cinematographer. Joshua Wilmott serves as the editor, while Ashley McKinney serves as the assistant editor.
Katie Mann is the makeup artist, Thomas Silverman is the head of the hair department, and Valerie Jackson serves as the hair stylist.
Nash is the musical director, with Frederik Thaae composing the score. The “Wild Bitch” theme song is written by Nash, and performed by Linda Buratto, Marco Briatore, and Nash.
Final Thoughts on Wild Bitch
My favorite line in this short film comes from Barb, who says of her ex-husband, “It [was] his way or the highway, and I hate to drive”.
At a runtime of nearly 13 minutes, Wild Bitch is a neat thriller that shows more than it tells. Johnson and Barb do well together in their fight for a common cause. If you are at the SXSW festival, this is definitely worth the watch.
Wild Bitch screens at South by Southwest this week!
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RELATED: Read my SXSW 2022 review of Local Middle Schooler, which also focuses on the female perspective!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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