Wild Tigers I Have Known

Director - Cam Archer (Shit Year, Bobbycrush)

Starring - Malcolm Stumpf (The Next Best Thing), Patrick White, and Max Paradise

Release Date - 2006

Genre - Drama

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I'm starting to have a love/hate relationship with Vinegar Syndrome and their partner labels.  On the one side, I absolutely love the films that Vin Syn brings to the attention of many movie fans.  Most of these movies are films that I would typically skip over but with Vin Syn backing them I find myself slowing down and actually taking a look at them.  However, the thing I hate about this is the fact that the addition of all these labels results in even more money being drained from my bank account.  It gets a little expensive with all these new and amazing films to purchase.  A few months back Vin Syn's partner label Altered Innocence announced the release of the 2006 coming of age LGBTQ+ film Wild Tigers I Have Known.  I was on the fence about ordering it but after a few moments of hesitation I added it to my order.  Before the new year was over I went ahead and gave it a spin.  I'm glad I took the dive and ordered it because it was worth every penny.

     The film follows the 13 year old Logan (Stumpf) who is still coming to terms with who he is.  He knows he is different and struggles to make friends, that is until he meets the older Rodeo (White) who takes Logan under his wing.  This makes him question himself even more especially when he starts exploring his sexuality.  He starts calling Rodeo late at night pretending to be a woman before eventually offering himself to him sexually in a cave.  

    I went into this one knowing that it was an LGBTQ+ film after seeing it appear on a list of queer cinema films a few years back but I never gave it much thought about watching it until I saw it on Vin Syn's site.  I don't know if it's because I'm older now and more open minded or it's the thought that Vin Syn is backing these films but I'm seriously enjoying watching this severely underrated films that most cinema fans are skipping over.  Wild Tigers I Have Known was a great film that has a lot of heart and is very enjoyable.  It's a shame that this one was overlooked like it was.  The acting in this one is great.  The cast is fairly small and inexperienced but they work so well together.  The short cast of characters is very well written and this young, inexperienced cast does a phenomenal job at bringing them to life.  We also have a small role from The Craft and American History X's Fairuza Balk and Deadwood and Sons of Anarchy's Kim Dickens.  The story for this one is simple and straight to the point.  It's a grounded coming of age tale that focuses more on character development instead of story.  We've seen so many coming of age films centered around puberty, virginity, and lots of humor.  However, Wild Tigers is focused on the internal struggles many of us go through during these difficult years especially those of us that are deemed different by society.  I really liked the way this film approached the sexuality of a young teenager and how uncomfortable he is in his own skin.  It does drag on in a few scenes but the overall story works for the viewer.  Finally, the film is not a bloody one.  It's a character piece that leaves an impact on the viewer.  Overall, Wild Tigers I Have Known is a fantastic film that I highly recommend.  Movie fans that are open to the film will truly enjoy it.  I highly recommend it.