‘William’ – Movie review
Category: Movies
Cloning is the subject of this interesting story. William brings the past together with the present.
Maria Dizzia plays Dr. Barbara Sullivan, an academic who has a brilliant idea. Waleed Zuaiter is Dr. Julian Reed, a professor who is consumed by the Neanderthal era and excited that the university where he teaches has the only Neanderthal man that is not fossilized. The two doctors get together to create a modern-day Neanderthal by taking the DNA and implanting the fetus in Dr. Sullivan. The two, of course, get married first to make this situation realistic, but soon after young William is born. He’s the first live Neanderthal in 35,000 years.
Their mistake is going public with their project. Had they simply raised the child as their own, although he does have some noticeably different traits than the average boy, perhaps William would have had a much better life. But they used the boy for experiments while at the same time raising him.
The whole thing is too much for Barbara who takes young William to a remote Washington state island where they live together and she tries to make his life as normal as possible. But he does have a unique way of thinking and his strength is far superior to the other boys. Grown up William (Will Brittain) is intelligent but is out of place in this world. His discord with society is evident yet he is a sensitive young man. He wants desperately to be loved and he looks for a girl who will love him, but that is difficult.
Finally when William finds what he is looking for he also discovers he really doesn’t belong anywhere. So what is a young Neanderthal man to do in the 21stcentury?
The movie is thought provoking and sensitive. It is, above all, a story of finding one’s place in the world, and for William that just isn’t possible. While we all feel struggles with our lives at times, think about how much more intense they would be for William.
William opens in theaters April 12, 2019.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County.
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