Community initiative: #WolfGetsReal
On the 3rd of December, Wolf was released – a movie which features a protagonist with species dysphoria being committed to a mental asylum. It’s been getting bad reviews, but many critics mention one idea in particular: that this is a metaphor for mental illness or gender identity.
[image ID: snippets of reviews criticising Wolf as ‘social commentary’.]
The thing is, the director has explicitly stated that Wolf is inspired by real people with species dysphoria. She states nonhuman identity has an ‘obviously comical side to it’ and is a ‘growing syndrome’. She also confesses to deliberately not researching the subject.
Non-alterhuman transgender people are affected by the film’s messages too. But it’s critical to understand that we are the people this movie is about. We deserve to be seen as more than a metaphor for transgender issues – especially when so many of us are transgender ourselves. We also deserve to be seen as people capable of living happy lives, not pathologized for our experiences.
We're calling for society to recognize that people with species dysphoria are not an allegory. We're real, and we’re affected by these representations.
And you can help us make that happen. If you're a person with species dysphoria or an ally, we’re asking you to join us in sharing your feelings about the movie using the hashtag #WolfGetsReal. We’re interested in:
Opinions on the movie, its production, or the critical response to it
How species dysphoria affects you and how other people have treated you for it
Experiences with the mental health system and hospitalization as a nonhuman
How your species identity and gender identity intersect, if relevant
Anything else you think people need to see and know about!
We’ll be boosting and promoting content that uses the tag #WolfGetsReal anywhere we can. Anything from a full blown video essay to a single tweet is welcome. If you’ve got stuff to say but you’re nervous about putting yourself out there? Send us an ask, email us, or come discuss it on the discord or forum, and we’ll publish it on your behalf.
You can also help by:
Sharing your perspective in conversations about the movie in your social spaces
Leaving reviews for the movie on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and other review sites
Leaving comments on articles reviewing the movie (or even directly contact the journalists writing them!)
For better or for worse, nonhuman identity is entering public awareness. Other recent films like Wild Mountain Thyme show that this is not a fluke, but the beginning of a potential trend. But if we stand together and speak out, we can prevent these careless depictions and incredulous critical responses. It all starts with raising our voices and taking the narrative into our own hands.
Let’s get real.