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FILM ANALYSIS:MICAIAH MILADY ORLANDA
FILM:STILL WYLDE
Written and Directed: Ingrid Hass
Cinematographer: Chris Westlund
Sound Mixer: Nicolas Osorio
Production Designer: Eva Huang
Associate Producer: Devin Shepherd
Executive Producer: Ingrid Haas
ACTORS: Sabrina Jalees, Cristina Fernandez, Barry Rothbart, Ingrid Haas, Juzo Yoshida, Cassandra James Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmakers.
If love were a movie, Still Wylde is exactly how I’d imagine itbeautiful, complicated, and often full of uncertainties. Love, when shared with the right person, can be an extraordinary thing, yet it doesn’t always follow a perfect script. Still Wyldeleft me deeply emotional, delicately balancing grief and absurdity. It made me sit in discomfort, yet offered moments of unexpected laughter like life itself. Throughout, there was a lingering sense of vulnerability that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.
From the very beginning, I was completely engaged. The film immediately immerses the viewer in a raw, intimate space, reflecting how confused and emotionally tangled adulthood can be. It captures the reality of everyday life, portraying how easy it is to get lost in your thoughts even when the world demands your focus.
The story follows a quirky couple, Gertie and Sam, who face an unexpected and heartbreaking turn in their pregnancy journey. Together, they confront grief, commitment, and their vastly different coping mechanisms. The film masterfully walks the tightrope between comedy and tragedy as they try to connect through the chaos. Life doesn’t always unfold neatly joy, loss, and confusion often coexist. Still Wylde explores this coexistence with honesty and tenderness, showing how emotional pain tests relationships and how the most intimate bonds evolve under pressure.
One of the film’s most unexpected moments and greatest surprises was the revelation that Gertie had lost her baby. I didn’t see it coming. The pregnancy arc takes a sudden, tragic turn, shifting the entire tone of the film. What made it even more remarkable was the choice to handle such a heavy subject with dry humour, which was bold, unexpected, and effective. It didn’t lessen the pain it highlighted how people often use humour to survive it.
The characters were all exceptionally portrayed. From the man at the counter tolerating Gertie’s indecision to the doctor who delivered her message with calm professionalism every performance felt real and grounded. Gertie’s pregnant sister had a standout moment, transitioning from an exaggerated “Oh my GOD!!!” to a softer, more stunned “oh my God”a subtle but brilliant shift. Gertie’s labour scene felt heartbreakingly authentic.
Despite the short runtime, the characters were fully fleshed out—flawed, awkward, and emotionally complex. Their reactions to grief weren’t conventional, but they felt deeply human. Gertie herself stood out as both the emotional and comedic anchor of the story. Her idiosyncrasies and emotional instability were portrayed with such vulnerability that she became instantly relatable. Sam’s facial expressions and silence often said more than words, capturing his own quiet confusion and helplessness. The chemistry between them was intimate but strained two individuals trying to cope in very different ways, yet somehow holding on.
The cinematography was minimalistic but powerful. Every shot felt intentional. Close-ups on Gertie’s face during key emotional moments amplified her isolation and pain. One particularly striking visual showed the couple lying in bed physically close but emotionally distant perfectly capturing what their future might have been before the unexpected turn. The soft, muted colour palette and natural lighting matched the film’s emotional ambiguity, while framing choices often emphasized the emotional distance between characters.
The sound design was subtle but impactful. The score never overwhelmed the scenes but gently carried the emotional rhythm of the film. In many moments, silence spoke louder than music. Dialogue was crisp and balanced with meaningful pauses and ambient noise, which added to the realism and tension.
The film exceeded all my expectations by offering a brutally honest yet darkly humorous take on miscarriage a subject rarely portrayed with such emotional intelligence and tonal complexity. Its greatest strengths lie in its authentic performances, brave storytelling, and emotional truth. Some viewers may find the tonal shifts a bit jarring or feel that grief isn’t explored as deeply as it could be but for those who understand the nuances of love and loss, every moment of Still Wylde will be cherished.
This film evoked a range of strong emotions. I laughed awkwardly when Gertie wanted to return to Canada for “pregnancy leave,” forgetting she didn’t even have a job. I felt deep discomfort and sadness when she had to deliver her stillborn baby, Wylde. It was an emotional rollercoaster yet one that never felt manipulative or forced. Instead, it embraced the chaos of human emotion.
I would absolutely recommend Still Wylde especially to those drawn to relationship dramas or emotionally intelligent storytelling. It’s a film that stays with you, one that provokes reflection and heartfelt conversation. In my view, Still Wyldeleaves a lasting impact. It challenges conventional narratives around pregnancy and grief, reminding us that emotions don’t always come in expected forms. Coping is messy. Healing isn’t linear. But somewhere in all that mess, meaning still exists.
STORY
Still Wylde tells the story of Wylde who was never born and her mother Gertie shes unexpectedly pregnant and navigating the emotional rollercoaster that follows when the pregnancy ends in miscarriage. With a darkly comedic tone, the film follows her and her boyfriend as they attempt to process the situation in a way that feels both disconnected and painfully real. It’s a personal, awkward, and emotionally raw snapshot of how people cope with unexpected grief, especially when emotions don’t match society’s expectations.
PROTAGONIST
Gertie, She is the emotional and narrative center of the film. Quirky, sharp-witted, and emotionally layered, she’s trying to maintain a sense of control and humour while quietly falling apart inside. She embodies the messy complexity of grief.
ANTAGONIST
There is no traditional villain in the film, but the antagonist takes the form of emotional suppression, both internal and external. Wylde’s struggle to express her emotions and her partner’s avoidance of emotional depth create a tension that drives the narrative.
CHARACTERS:
Gertie (played by Ingrid Haas) – The protagonist. Sarcastic and emotionally unpredictable, she’s navigating trauma with denial, humour, and a longing for connection.
Sam, Calm and emotionally close, he’s supportive way, willing to engage with the depth of Wylde’s feelings. His attachment adds to Wylde’s faith of never existing.
Strangers – Appear briefly, adding awkward humour and emphasizing how the world keeps spinning even in someone’s moment of grief.
PLOT STRUCTURE
BEGINNING
The film opens with a pregnant Gertie and her boyfriend in an uncomfortable, intimate setting. The tone is light but uneasy sheuses sarcasm to mask her anxiety about the pregnancy and their future.
INCITING INCIDENT
Gertie experiences a miscarriage. The moment is handled abruptly, with little build-up or melodrama, mirroring how quickly life can shift.
CONFLICT
The central conflict is emotional dissonance: Wylde wants to feel seen, heard, and comforted. There’s a clash in how both characters grieve. Wylde wants to confront it, even awkwardly; he wants to move on. Wylde also wrestles with internal conflict, unsure how she’s supposed to feel, or if it’s okay to grieve what was never “real” to others.
CLIMAX
In a moment of raw honesty, Wylde never comes to existence, Gertie voicing her disappointment and pain yelling in labour if Wylde is get out of her body and its more than a week how emotionally supportive Sam is. This outburst doesn’t explode it fizzles, which mirrors the emotional exhaustion both characters feel.
RESOLUTION:
The film ends not with a grand reconciliation, a proper goodbye for Wylde but with quiet understanding. They remain physically and emotionally close there’s a faint sense that acknowledging the loss might be the first step to healing. It’s an unresolved ending, but honest to real-life grief, where not everything is wrapped up neatly.
THEME
Still Wylde explores grief, womanhood, and the fragility of emotional connection in relationships, critiques society’s discomfort with miscarriage and the expectation that women process emotional trauma in a specific, acceptable way. It also reveals how silence can be more painful than chaos and how humour can be both a shield and a cry for help.
FILM ANALYSIS:
nice
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