The first trailer has arrived for Wolves, the coming-of-age basketball drama starring Michael Shannon, Carla Gugino, and Taylor John Smith, and which is centered on Anthony (Smith), a prospective college basketball player whose life is spiraling as his father’s (Shannon) gambling addiction drains the college fund. Anthony must try to keep his relationship and family together as he struggles with the trials and tribulations of basketball and life.
The trailer exhibits confident visual strides from director Bart Freundlich, as the expositional first-half gives way to a strictly musical portion that allows the actors and cinematography to speak for themselves. It’s a good sign when a trailer is comfortable allowing the visual aspects of the film to shine as the dialogue takes a back seat.
See the full trailer below, for the film that also stars Atlanta‘s Zazie Beetz:
From the famous courts of West 4th Street, to the tenements over looking the bridges of the lower east side, Wolves paints an original, diverse, and emotional portrait of a boy becoming a man in New York City.
18-year-old, Anthony Keller is a high school basketball star. Now in his senior year he is being recruited by Cornell University, a dream come true. Called “Saint” by everyone at his school (St. Anthony’s), he does his best to live up to his name. He is captain of his team, a good student, has a long time girlfriend and some good friends. But the ease with which he moves through his life is a facade. At home, Anthony struggles with his troubled Father, Lee Keller, (Michael Shannon) and his gambling addiction. Anthony’s Mother, Jenny, (Carla Gugino) has made it her mission to keep the family afloat but has done so only with great emotional and financial sacrifice.
As Anthony approaches the end of his senior year and the city finals, he is faced with adversity from all sides, and the stakes are high. He must find his own definition of what it means to be a man, both on and off the court, and in doing so he is confronted with the decision of a lifetime.
Wolves opens March 3 on limited theatrical release and VOD.