It's not a bad idea to take a more realistic approach to disaster or post-apocalypse films than Hollywood usually does. That's the premise behind Time of the Wolf (original title: Le temps du loup), which chronicles events in the life of a woman named Anna (Isabelle Huppert) and her two children, who are forced to struggle for survival after an unspecified catastrophe breaks down the structure of society.

Unfortunately, while the film has a premise, what Time of the Wolf lacks is a plot. I'm sure I'll draw fire from enthusiasts of experimental or high-art films who would claim that Time of the Wolf doesn't need a plot, not with its examination of character and society. Now, I'm all for exploring interesting themes, critiquing or analyzing society, and developing insight into characters... but along with that, I like a little bit of story to hang my hat on, so to speak. Narrative doesn't have to interfere with thematic concerns or character analysis... in fact, in a well-made film these varied aspects complement and enhance each other. Time of the Wolf, though, has no narrative structure; it might as well be a compilation of vignettes showing glimpses of the characters as they struggle to survive.

If we take the film as offering not a story, but a slice of life from a potential future catastrophe, what does it offer? Not a whole lot more, to be honest. The film remains somehow distant from what it portrays, so it's hard to really be interested in Anna, her children, or the other desperate people we meet. From the interviews in the special features section, it seems clear that the filmmakers wanted to "shake up" the viewer by showing how their own comfortable existence could come crashing to an end, but somehow I don't think that connection ever really gets made. Anna may be "like us" but her struggles are strangely unmoving.

The film's decision to never explain or discuss the off-screen catastrophe is daring, but it also backfires. For one thing, there's no sense of context for the events that do make it onto the screen. Furthermore, the film misses out on the possibility of exploring cause and effect. Why have things gone wrong? Are the characters setting themselves up to merely survive, to create a new civilization, or to screw things up all over again? We don't know, and it's hard to really care.

Probably the most worthwhile theme to be developed in Time of the Wolf is the way that religious fanaticism and superstition flame up as soon as the regular bonds of civilization are broken. The film touches on two ways in which the desperate strugglers are turning to superstition to relieve their anxieties: by believing in the "Just," a group of 36 people who are divinely chosen to keep the world from ending, or by believing in the "Brothers of Fire," who immolate themselves in an act of self-sacrifice. But these elements aren't really explored, merely tossed into the mix and left there.

The DVD

Video

If you mistakenly think this film was made in 1973 instead of 2003, you have a good reason: the transfer makes it look like it's 30 years old. To be fair, Time of the Wolf is presented in an anamorphically-enhanced transfer that preserves its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and the print appears to be in very good condition, with no flaws or scratches appearing in the image. However, colors look faded across the board (in a bland, unattractive way, not in an artistic, stylized way) and contrast is consistently too heavy. Some edge enhancement and grain shows up, but not too much.

The English subtitles are optional, and appear in an easy-to-read white font.

Audio

Two soundtracks are provided, both in the original French: a Dolby 2.0 and a Dolby 5.1. Apart from some greater depth in the 5.1, there's not much to distinguish the two, and the overall sound quality is average at best in any case. The soundtrack is clean, with no background noise or hissing (which would be quite noticeable here since so much of the film is nearly silent), but the dialogue is often harsh and tinny-sounding, particularly when voices are raised. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Extras

Viewers who enjoyed the film will find the special features to be of moderate interest. We get an interview with Isabel Huppert (4 minutes), in English, and another with director Michael Haneke (4 minutes), in French with English subtitles. The content of the interviews is fairly interesting, with both star and director discussing their intentions and experiences with the film. The seven minutes of "Behind-the-scenes footage" is fairly pointless, as it's just fly-on-the-wall material with no explanation of what's going on (and no subtitles, either). Lastly, there's a trailer for the film and for Springtime in a Small Town, Last Life in the Universe, and Reconstruction.

Final thoughts

Fans of either Isabel Huppert or Michael Haneke may find Time of the Wolf to be worth checking out; as far as post-apocalypse films go, Time of the Wolf offers a distinctive approach, if not a particularly successful one. I'll suggest this as a rental at best.