The new film, “Wildlike,” was written, produced and directed by NYU alumnus Frank Hall Green.“Wildlike,” a project that has been five years in the making, stars Bruce Greenwood and Ella Purnell in an unlikely but endearing friendship.

Winning Best Film in 30 different film festivals, most prominently the Los Angeles Cinefest 2015, “Wildlike” is an artistic and serious film which tells a social message about sexual abuse. Purnell plays 14-year-old Mackenzie, a gloomy adolescent recovering from the death of her father. She’s sent off to her uncle’s home in Juneau, Alaska while her mother undergoes hospital treatment.

The beginning of the film is filled mostly with silent scenes depicting pensive, black-clad Mackenzie adjusting to Alaska and life with her adoring uncle (Brian Geraghty). As the movie progresses, an underlying sense of unease and discomfort becomes present, as her eager-to-please and overly attentive uncle seems to grow a bit too fond of Mackenzie. His friendliness quickly takes a dark, incestuous turn and Mackenzie, terrified, runs away to escape harassment. She tries to call her mother for help, but her mom is incapable of handling the situation.

 Unsure of whom to turn to and reluctant to get the police involved, Mackenzie wanders the cold and rainy Alaska in solitude, sleeping in cars and breaking into a stranger’s hotel room for a place to rest. Through a complicated series of events, a lone stranger, Bart (Greenwood), becomes a father figure for Mackenzie. She immediately sees Bart as trustworthy, and though he initially rejects her company, he eventually becomes a caring and benevolent protector.

As the film progresses, the audience senses the growth of the silent, intense intimacy between Bart and Mackenzie as they share their common experiences with loss, grief and death while trekking through breathtaking Denali tundra together. Through this on-screen relationship, Green shows how simple yet profound facets of the human condition can establish connections between very different people. This film pulls at your heartstrings by showing how the two loners grow to love one another.

The end of the film is suspenseful, as Mackenzie’s uncle pursues her and threatens to have the police bring her back into his perverted grasp. Despite the uncomfortable intensity of the uncle’s pursuit, the plot binds Mackenzie and Bart in a friendship that transcends age.

Camera direction gives the story another dimension — solitary characters are frequently depicted amidst massive, majestic mountains, blue skies and green countryside, making the human figure secondary to nature. Green uses these visuals to reveal an underlying message: the importance of being exposed to experiences which are larger than life. Green, a backpacker himself, makes his love for the outdoors apparent through the reverential treatment of nature in the film. Nature itself acts as a constant source of calm and peace for the lonely and troubled characters.

“Wildlike” opens in theaters on Sept. 25.

Email Katrina Wilson at [email protected].