The Cat and the Moon

Even if The Cat and the Moon shows an old soul still sorting through his passions, it proves that the Hereditary actor is on an encouraging wavelength as a new director.

The good news is that Wolff isn't punching above his weight as a nascent multi-hyphenate, having assembled a generally sensitive if sometimes meandering tale without too many moving parts.

This indulgent, overlong film takes a solid hour for its bigger themes of love, loss and guilt to settle in. By then, however, the movie has tried our patience to the point that many may not care.

While the gist here is a familiar one of coming-of-age seriocomedy, Wolff avoids predictable beats, letting significant insights emerge almost incidentally rather than milking them for melodramatic effect.

... Wolff mines his own experiences of anger, frustration, and loneliness to create a stirring slice-of-life drama that never stoops to condescension or exaggeration while capturing a formative moment in teenage years.

A gorgeous, at times heartbreaking debut by a new cinematic voice.

This low-budget indie announces the 'Hereditary' star as a filmmaker to watch going forward.

What shines in Wolff's film is his style of storytelling.

Ambitious but unfocused, this filmmaking debut shows promise despite its self-indulgent tendencies.