Movie Review: 'Wander Darkly' starring Sienna Miller

Wander Darkly is a deeply moving and heart-rending drama about a couple in the dying days of a relationship. They fight all of the time, they spend their time apart, with one left with their child, and the other hiding in the garage working on his hobby. There is a lengthy history implied in how quick they are to be angry at one another. The couple is portrayed by Sienna Miller and Diego Luna and they effortlessly appear to have made a routine of fighting each other.

On this day, Adrienne (Miller) is preparing for a night out that Matteo (Luna) has forgotten about. On the recommendation of their therapist, they’ve instituted a mandatory date night where they leave their daughter with Adrienne’s mother, Patty (Beth Grant), and spend time together. The night out goes about as well as you can expect. He got dressed late and they can’t agree on a restaurant and when they do, they sit angry and quiet.

On the drive home, more arguing, more recriminations. We are so wrapped up in their argument that when a car veers into their lane and hits them head on, we feel the impact on a visceral level. What we thought was going to be a relationship drama has become something else entirely as Adrienne wakes up in the hospital and no one can see her. Is she dead? That does look like her body that she and we are staring at.

Time shifts and Adrienne is attending her own funeral. Matteo stands to give a speech and is overcome with emotion. Jump ahead and Adrienne is in the midst of watching her parents take her baby daughter home and the question lingers, where is Matteo? Why is Matteo not caring for the baby? Shifting in time again, Adrienne is outside her home, she wanders down the street and keeps walking until she reaches a busy overpass. She tries to climb the fence, assuming she can’t die again. Then Matteo appears and stops her.

How can he see her or touch her? Is Matteo dead? When did he die? How did he die? These intriguing questions drive the mid-section of Wander Darkly, a trippy, human drama about grief, loss and love. Written and directed by newcomer Tara Miele, Wander Darkly is a trippy, lucid tour of the inside of a character's mind that flows like watching a dream. There is no linear quality, the story shifts as Matteo tries to convince Adrienne that neither of them are actually dead.

Adrienne is not easily convinced, especially as the story unfolds and Matteo takes her through remarkable, physical and emotional recreations of their memories together. Matteo is trying to help Adrienne remember the positives about their life and lead her back to the world of the living. Adrienne however, can’t help but point out the ways in which their memories of even positive experiences differ, with characters played by Aimee Carrero and Tory Kittles popping up as reminders of the trouble spots in their relationship.

Wander Darkly is deftly directed with the confidence of a much older and more experienced director. Tara Miele has a wonderful eye and command in her direction that shines throughout Wander Darkly. There is a clear chemistry between the director and Sienna Miller whom the camera absolutely loves. There are lush, sumptuous visuals throughout Wander Darkly, during the memory sequences, that give the film the dreamlike and eerie feel that propels us toward a satisfyingly tragic conclusion.

Sienna Miller has received Oscar buzz for her performance in Wander Darkly and that buzz is well warranted. Miller is spectacular in Wander Darkly. She explores grief and devastation with a broken hearted curiosity. She is in despair and yet, not willing to lose an argument to Matteo that began years before and yet still feels raw to her. She clings to life as if convincing Matteo of her being right will let them both live.

It’s catharsis in a strange sort of way. Dying or nearly dying gives Adrienne the chance to bare her soul and have the scrappy, snappy, bitter argument that she always wanted to have with Matteo. It’s not all bad memories and arguments, there are moments of blissful romance as well in Adrienne’s memories, but finally drawing Matteo out and forcing him to admit something he’d been hiding is like a weight lifting off of them both.

That weight however, comes with a devastating cost and you will need to see Wander Darkly to know what that cost is. Wander Darkly is available on streaming rental services as of December 11th and courtesy of Lionsgate Films.