The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) - Jim Cumming

​The Wolf of Snow Hollow doesn't differentiate itself much from Jim Cumming's debut feature, Thunder Road, employing different window-dressing to the filmmakers continued exploration of the toxicity of masculine hubris in a society in which masculine insecurity is suppressed more than openly accepted.  The werewolf motif is merely a facade for the film to excavate the psyche of this deeply-troubled and insecure man, a man whose utterly inept, internally suffering from a near full-blown nervous breakdown related to his father's debilitating condition, whose reactionary external response is projecting toxic egoism which only further isolates him from his friends and family. The Wolf of Snow Hallow does manage to be effective both in its drama and horror moments, yet make no mistake Cummings is keen in his understanding of how to balance genre with tonal variations which seamlessly move from outrageous comedy to pensive melancholy, while always making the underlying mental anguish of his central protagonist the focal point of this "genre" film.  The direction and formal style is sturdy yet not particularly distinctive, and I do fear the principle characterization itself could become too much of schtick for Cummings if he isn't careful, yet The Wolf of Snow Hollow still manages to be relatively affecting, despite it being largely much of the same conceptually if one removes the horror/werewolf facade.