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REVIEW BY A LARPER - FOR LARPERS, WITH SPOILERS

posted 14 years ago by aaronjv-1
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The following review contains spoilers of the movie, The Wild Hunt, including the ending. I have posted other reviews of the movie without spoilers; you should be able to find them on this thread. Below the ****** mark be spoilers.

The Wild Hunt, a dramatic thriller directed by Alexandre Franchi and written, starring and executive produced by Mark Krupa, is a low-budget (less than a million) independent Canadian feature film that is enjoying an award-winning run on the festival circuit as well as a limited theatrical release in its home country. It might have a limited release in the United States starting May 28—Hannover House, the distributor, may push that release back to coincide with San Diego Comic Con or GenCon.

I saw a screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 24, 2010.

The plot is a simple one: Erik (Ricky Mabe) is caregiver for his ailing father. Erik’s older brother Bjorn (Mark Krupa) plays a Viking warrior in a live combat larp that takes place in a well-built forest campground with multi-story buildings, a fake wooden ship that can be rocked back and forth as if at sea, and moss covered stone ruins. This weekend will be the climax of the year’s campaign. Erik’s girlfriend, Evelyn (Kaniehtiio Horn), joins Bjorn for the adventure, and, during the course of the game, is captured by a PC clan leader named Shaman Murtagh (Trevor Hayes). Erik, troubled about his real-life relationship with Evelyn, joins the larp to rescue her—first in reality, than in fantasy, then, as things degenerate, those lines blur and cross.

The Wild Hunt was shot at and with the permission of a larp group, Duche de Bicolline, in Canada. Many of their participants and all of their sets appear in the movie. It may be the best ad for Bicolline ever.

The acting, cinematography, editing, wardrobe and production design of the movie are all very striking and professional. There’s no question that everyone involved has talent. If you are looking for a taut drama with Shakespearean epic overtones, this fits the bill.

Could this movie be the next Mazes & Monsters, an early 80’s movie that suggested that Dungeons & Dragons leads to madness? Possibly, but doubtful. Most non-larpers should be aware that the movie is a fiction. But if you hear someone asking “is this what larp is?” you may want to address the issue and explain that it’s not.

*******
The following are a listing of incidents in the movie that I believe could break the willing suspension of disbelief for larpers watching The Wild Hunt. This doesn’t mean that the movie is unworthy, only that you might find yourself drawn in by the characters and story, only to be ejected like a warped audio cassette when one of the below instances occurs.

Weapons
In one scene, a GM performs a weapon check on a boffer. He’s anal-retentive enough to demand that an exposed bit of PVC at the hilt is covered (note these were the least-attractive weapons used in the film; most of the main weapons seemed to be of high quality, though I do not know their foam pedigree).

However, Murtagh’s group performs a ritual sacrifice with what looks like an actual knife. They play up the ceremony in a way that it appears to the sacrificial victim (Evelyn) as if she is about to be really killed. The knife is retractable, but there are no markings on it to suggest otherwise, and Evelyn clearly didn’t know it was. Is it worth it in your larp for participants to think they are really going to be killed?

Later, Bjorn brings Mjolnir, Thor’s mystical uru hammer, into the larp. Its phys-rep is a real sledgehammer. I can almost picture someone using a real sledgehammer (dressed up nice) as a prop, but in the movie they use it in game. More troubling, before they go on the quest, one of the GMs, Tamara, playing an NPC, swears an oath on Mjolnir—she allows it into the game, even walking with the player carrying a real weapon.

Shameless plug: LARP Alliance, a non-profit (501c) organization, is working to establish a ratings system called the American Weapon Index that reviews and rates the weaponry used in larps.

GameMaster control and presence
By my reckoning, there were only two GMs for about 200 (or more) players, in an area perhaps a square mile in size. Although they were connected via walkie talkies, I am sure you can all imagine one GM trying to handle 100 players and the ensuing logistical nightmares.

Because of too few GMs, crucial in-game scenes, such as the ritual sacrifice of Evelyn to start the Hunt, isn’t monitored. Which is how one of Murtagh’s men can grab Evelyn in a headlock from behind, drag her to the blooding stone, and bellow “Let’s f*^k this b!*)h!” as she shrieks to the trees. What I found unbelievable is how a major in-game plot development, the start of the Wild Hunt (where all of the Huntsmen have +2 defense), occurs without a GM presence.

The GMs also broke rules of safety and courtesy. Erik arrives outside the village and asks to talk to his girlfriend. He sounds desperate, leaving his car parked in a fire lane even after the GM tells him to move it. Rather than ask what’s wrong or sending someone to fetch Evelyn, Erik is forced to wear a peasant costume and go (with GM escort) to Murtagh’s camp. When there, Erik has no OOG headband or hand signal, so one of Murtagh’s men “kills” him. Erik cries that he’s not playing the stupid game, and pleads to Evelyn. Murtagh’s clan continues to role-play it out, staying in character even though this peasant just took five wounds and didn’t drop. Nor did the GM say anything to break the game or enforce Erik’s in-game demise. The boundary between fantasy and real was blurred from the start.

Overall, the larp in The Wild Hunt is a demonstration of GM fail. But there is some cognitive dissonance because the costumes, sets, location and population of the larp clearly indicate its immense popularity. As I overheard one viewer at the Newport Beach Film Festival screening, “That’s how they do it in Canada.” Maybe so.

Calls
None of the characters in the movie ever uttered a “hold” call, especially Evelyn. Granted, it may not have made a difference with some of Murtagh’s clan, but I would expect an attempt somewhere along the way.

In game or out of game drama
An important scene occurs late in the second act. Erik has rescued Evelyn, and they’re snogging in the (very cool) Viking ship replica. Murtagh casts a “passing unseen” type spell to enter the ship and talk to Evelyn. The GM accompanies this action and asks Erik to leave. Erik doesn’t. The GM goes ahead. Murtagh talks to Evelyn out of character, begging her to stay (without apologizing for the near rape and simulated murder). While he talks, Erik, also out of character, insults and teases Murtagh. The GM allows all of this to happen, without asking the players to tone it down, or to talk in character. Murtagh leaves, disgusted, and his clan drops their fake weapons and walks back to camp. I don’t believe a GM follows to find out if anything is wrong. They allow events to proceed to their tragic conclusion.

Only one attempt is made to call the police, and then, from a landline. Perhaps the camp is removed enough so that no cell phone or laptop signal works, but that seems unlikely.

Are we playing after the funeral?
By the end of the movie, the camp has nearly burned down (the use of fire was surprising, but maybe that’s a Southern California bias), players rioted and killed/hospitalized each other. Yet the final scene indicates that the larp continues to operate—and Bjorn was still playing. I cannot imagine this enterprise didn’t suffer a series of lawsuits or at least an extremely bad reputation that would cause it to close its gates. I wouldn’t play in a larp where someone was murdered fer reals. But maybe that’s the California (or American) bias again.

The freedom of larps is there because there are rules that bind the players and enforce the borders between what’s real life and what takes place in the imagination. The disregard for long-standing larp rules and systems makes for great drama, but again, it’s not a realistic larp.

The Jezebel.com commentary
If you are concerned about the portrayal of women in movies, or women in larps, you might not enjoy The Wild Hunt. Although one of the GMs is a woman, and the Elven leader is a female with a great scene, the character of Evelyn is aggravating: she cannot decide if she wants to stay with her grumpy but cute boyfriend caring for his ill (cancer stricken?) father, or the older Shaman dude who doesn’t bat an eye when his lieutenants put her in a headlock, tie her up to a rock, and hint at gang rape. Eveleyn doesn’t say much (but looks great in black eyeshadow), except that she wants to be a princess. She says nothing to Erik about what she wants, not even “I don’t know, just leave me be for a while, let me figure it out.” She pouts a lot, and when the men stop fighting over her, she commits suicide. Yes, ladies, if men aren’t fighting for you, you might as well jump off a cliff.

Furthermore, there weren’t any women in Murtagh’s clan. I cannot imagine a larp with this many participants that didn’t have at least one female who wanted to be in that group, perhaps playing a Queen Maeve character. If there were, I think (hope) she would stop the guys from nearly assaulting Evelyn. If the clan doesn’t allow women, wouldn’t that be a red flag to other players and/or the GMs that these players need to be watched? Maybe they’re taking it too seriously?

Reaction
The Wild Hunt has won the Audience Award at Slamdance for Best Film (2009) as well as Best Canadian First Feature from the Toronto International Film Festival (among other accolades). The reviews have been mostly positive, although a few have contained disparaging slights against Live Action Role Playing. The critics seem to know that this is a fiction film.

After the Newport Beach screening I attended, I overheard two comments from two different couples sitting near me (total strangers). First was: “I am never, ever larping, ever.” Second was “I’m not going to Renaissance Faire anymore.” I am not sure how serious they were, nor if that was a typical reaction (anecdote is not data). When I asked a few other people afterwards on their thoughts, one girl said she wasn’t interested in larping before, and still wasn’t. Her male companion was excited, though, but said he already was interested in larping after seeing the movie Role Models.

In an interview with Mark Krupa, the writer/executive producer and actor (Bjorn) in The Wild Hunt, I mentioned these two quotes to him, and asked what he would say to these people given the chance. He replied:

If they were serious, I would say "That's unfortunate; if you weren't so careful you may end up having fun." Or to the guy I'd say "You should see the girls there in chainmail bustiers." Or to the girl I'd say "You know the medieval thing really helps guys role-play. Like take that extra time to attend to your needs, you know?" But I'd probably really say “Yeah - Medieval fairs! God who needs that!? A bunch of CRAZY LARPERS in COSTUME!? I'd much rather drink liver-poison in a dark bar with loud music or go to a club where real girls twirl around poles. It's a much more human experience."

See more of my interview with Mark elsewhere in this forum.

Conclusion
The biggest problem with TWH is that it’s a well-crafted movie. The camera and editing work are great. The acting is believable enough that I empathized with the characters (the guys, at least). If you are a live combat larper (in America), you might be envious of Duche de Bicolline’s amazing sets and costumes.

But TWH isn’t a celebration of larp. It might make us look cool, but also suggests that we’re insane, and that there’s a systemic problem in larp that attracts psychotic and/or unstable personalities. True, most people know the difference between fantasy and reality in movies and in larps. But…

Are we really totally immune to this kind of drama? No. Structured play-pretend is designed to be an intense physical, mental, and emotional workout. But that relies upon a safe, controlled setting. The boundaries and rules make us free. As a larper (player or GM), think about what you can do to make sure things like the events in the movie NEVER happen:

Have all weapons been checked? Are all players clear of the safety calls? Do you have enough refs to make sure large groups of players aren’t left alone for long periods of time? Do you have enough awareness to identify when things are going too far, and the authority to slow it down? As a player, do you know when another player is made uncomfortable? Do you know what the boundaries are, and what to do if they are crossed? Do you know your own limitations, and when to stop the game, tell a ref or GM, or leave?

I believe that it is highly doubtful something this dramatic could or would happen at a larp, however, lesser tribulations at larps arise: people flirting or sleeping with someone they shouldn’t, emotions overtaking imagination or safety, jealousies arising, lying or cheating, people getting hurt. However, that can happen with any group of people. It’s not the larp that causes those consequences. It was the people in the larp. Can Live Action Role Playing activate the darker elements in people? Perhaps, but so, too, can Tea Bagger protests or sports team championships.

Larps feature human beings, with all the benefits and detriments that entails. Enjoy the spectacle, but remember (and remind others) that larp is make-believe…just like movies.

Check out LARP Alliance (http://www.larpalliance.net/), a nonprofit organization designed to support larps and larp groups.

Aaron Vanek
Secretary of LARP Alliance
Chair of the LARP Alliance Media Committee

The Internet gave everyone a voice-everyone has chosen to use that voice to bitch about movies.

[–] WindsPast 14 years ago

thanks for your well thought out and detailed post. Unfortunately, LARP already has a terrible and negative stigma over the years. This film does not help. Judging from the trailer and the plot summary, I can already picture nervous mothers holding up signs at my near by park to ban LARPing "for the children!"

While many smart people who realize that this is just a movie and is not a fair representation of LARP, there are many people who still believe Elvis is alive, or that Bush was a great president...

Hearing the comments from those people at the screening with you makes me sad... I already had to spend years telling people that not every LARP has "lighting bolt!" Now I might foresee myself trying to tell people that not every LARP rapes women and murders people.

Thanks alot directors... way to put down a perfectly natural hobby. Why don't we make a movie about a bunch of sports fanatics who burned down their city because their sports team won.

[–] aaronjv-1 14 years ago

Thanks for the comment.

In my review, I am trying not to sound the klaxon call of alarm and ask that we ban the picture. I know the filmmakers certainly didn't intend to ruin larp, but good intentions is not an excuse, no matter how many times someone tries to hide behind them.

I think the bad rap attributed to larping is an especially American problem. Europe has long accepted larp as art, and their events are about 5-10 years advanced from ours here in the states. I am not positive, but it appears that there's no stigma attached to larp across the pond. Here, though, everyone has to be cool, and larping is stereotypes as home to either fat elves or emo vampires.

I'm trying to change that, as best I can. I think we're seeing a shift.

If you are at all interested, check out my essay on the future of larp (http://www.mortalisrpg.com/forum/index.php?action=tpmod;dl=item37) that I wrote for the summit book of Wyrd Con (http://www.wyrdcon.com/), the all-larp convention held here in Southern California a few weeks ago. I talk about The Wild Hunt and Role Models and other movies with larp, among other things, to forecast what we'll see in the next decade for larp.

And as a citizen of Los Angeles, I live with the morons that trashed downtown after the Lakers won this year's NBA championship (a repeat). That's cool, but making up your own story, your own entertainment, independent from corporate market research, focus groups and Chinese lead is not?

Aaron

PS-LARP Alliance, the nonprofit organization I serve as secretary on the board of directors, helped Tosh.0 hook up with Brandon Boucher, the "lightning bolt!" guy for a web redemption clip. The comments on the Tosh board suggest to me that maybe The Wild Hunt could be good for larping...it certainly presents a side of it that most don't see (not the raping and killing side, I mean the hotties, the stories, the enjoyment of larp).

The Internet gave everyone a voice-everyone has chosen to use that voice to bitch about movies.

[–] Ace_Moonshot 14 years ago

I find your PS noteworthy. Tosh was great in it. Most certainly positive for LARP.

I am not a LARPer. But I did fight a few Melees in SCA back in the 80s. And already a fan of PNP RPGs. LARP was the natural progression. I think jokes are made, but in this case it really is of jealousy. Who doesn't want to get out and play.

Don't trust reality. After all, it's only a collective hunch.

[–] wblanar 13 years ago

Hey there.

Watching the movie was a major pain for me.
I've been LARPing for over 15 years now and I would like to ensure you that the bad reputation LARP has sometimes is not only an american thing.

Over here in germany we're facing exactly the same problems. We've even been close to a witchhunt some years ago when conservative politicians tried to ban LARP for good.

I have a hard time accepting that ongoing talking about socalled "good intentions"!
There is a reason why most LARPers in germany do not accept or allow cooperation with media persons of any kind.

Stop the good intentions and start showing us the way we are.
We are ordinary people, not a bunch of weirdos.
We have our dayjobs, go to bars and sports events, have friends who are not into larp, just like everybody else.

Wladimir

[–] aaronjv-1 13 years ago

Guten tag, Wladimir

Thanks for your comments. Good intentions are the worst excuse and biggest cause of unintentional harm, I agree.

I especially wanted to comment on this:
There is a reason why most LARPers in germany do not accept or allow cooperation with media persons of any kind.

It's like this in the U.S. as well. Most larpers don't want to have anything to do with the media. No cameras, no comments, etc. However, I believe that if we larpers aren't talking to the media, the media will define us and portray us as they see us, not how as we are.

I therefore try to talk to the media as often as I can. I've allowed myself to be taped for documentaries (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hS7kWQFt0U -- I'm the one in the suit, in the first 15 seconds). A friend of mine ran a larp specifically for a student documentarian, so she could both play and get footage for her student project. And, as Secretary of the LARP Alliance (http://www.larpalliance.net/), we reach out to media companies frequently. Our VP, Adrianne Grady (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2765705/) was the technical consultant on the movie Role-Models which featured larp. She was bale to get the script changed slightly to have a more positive spin on live action role playing. She and Rick McCoy (pres. of LARP Alliance) were consulted on the upcoming movie Knights of Badassdom as well.

My directive to LARP Alliance, and to larpers in general dealing with the media is to control the message. Rather than avoidance, I say we engage and explain to them what is going on. Which is how and why I saw The Wild Hunt and wrote four reviews here.

I was interviewed for this college article here: http://www.thebullmagazine.net/2.10272/playing-their-roles-1.1484276

and their reporters did a photo feature on a game that was run and organized as part of a larp group I helped start (with others) called Enigma Live Game Labs (http://www.livegamelabs.com/): http://www.thebullmagazine.net/2.10272/monsieur-beauregard-s-1920s-speakeasy-1.1494968

Again, the media and world won't know what we're really about unless we show them (IMHO).

Aaron

The Internet gave everyone a voice-everyone has chosen to use that voice to bitch about movies.

[–] anna_velasquez 14 years ago

I saw "The Wild Hunt" yesterday, at Fantasy Filmfest in Munich. I thought it was a pretty realistic movie. I'm a LARPer myself and, taking group dynamics into the account, I think under very, very extreme circumstances, something like this MIGHT actually happen.

Take someone who's got some kind of mental problem right from the start and takes things way too seriously. And then, take said group dynamics. It's like a rock concert where you cell and scream and go with the crowd. Or a football match. Or something like that. That's how mobs are started and that's something that has happened in the past. As much as we like to think of our hobby as peaceful and natural and so on - it can happen everywhere when all the "right" factors come together.

I also liked the film because I could actually see myself in those LARPers in the movie. There were several scenes where I silently went "Yes, that's IT! Been there - done it."

Quote:
"Europe has long accepted larp as art, and their events are about 5-10 years advanced from ours here in the states. I am not positive, but it appears that there's no stigma attached to larp across the pond. Here, though, everyone has to be cool, and larping is stereotypes as home to either fat elves or emo vampires."

Well, that's true insofar as that here in Europe, as far as I can tell from my own personal experience, LARPers aren't seen as a danger. As possible lunatics who will start killing people for real, one day. There's several papers/thesis I know of about the benefits of LARPs: being able to try out different roles, find out what you're capable of, etc. (my brother-in-law wrote about that for his diploma paper, e.g.). My colleagues - those who know I'm into LARPing - all went "ey, cool!" when they found out. *gg*

There might be a slight stigma attached to the hobby insofar that it's considered to be a hobby for dreamers, nerds, freaks - for a certain kind of people who're all a little crazy but in an interesting and kinda love-able way. There definitely are people here who, when they know you're a LARPer, won't take you seriously.

Interest in LARP has risen greatly since I started, back in 1998. Back then, you only got to know of LARPs taking place through friends in the hobby. Or through the flyers they usually handed out at the end of a LARP (so you ended up kinda hoarding those flyers). Nowadays, there's the LARP-Kalender (LARP-calendar) where you can pretty much find every major and even many of the minor LARPs taking place in Germany. I don't really know about other European countries but here in Germany, LARP seems to be a quite popular hobby, judging from the mere number of LARPs taking place throughout the year.

What would I say about "The Wild Hunt" if someone asked me: "So - that's LARP?" I think I'd tell them: "Yes, the parts where they aren't going at each other, trying to kill each other - that IS LARP. As for the rest, I've been playing since 1998 and I know of only one person who maybe took things a bit too seriously. The worst he did was to yell at someone over the phone. If you wanna know what LARP is about, why don't you give it a try? It's fun!"

[–] aaronjv-1 14 years ago

Good review, Anna

I agree with you. Unfortunately, America is a little behind in its approach to larp. I don't know much about German larps, but I assume they are roughly analogous to the Nordic larp style, which is slowly starting to catch on here in the States.

Part of the problem, according to artist Brody Condon (Sonsbeek Live, and Level Five, going on right now here in Los Angeles...and I'm not in it), is simply branding. Many people in the U.S. are larping, but they wouldn't dare call it that: some aspects of the SCA, the Renaissance Faire, model U.N. clubs, mock trial associations, and military training such as at Fort Irwin (National Training Center).

Hopefully, with more and more media depicting larp as something more than nerd parties (though there's nothing wrong with nerd parties), the true power of this unique art form will arise in America.

Aaron
The Internet gave everyone a voice-everyone has chosen to use that voice to bitch about movies.

[–] alana-hyland 14 years ago

Great article! You've really analysed the film to a fine level of detail. I was just going over your reflection of the portrayal of women in this movie.

There were women in Murtagh's clan, two of them that brought in food and appeared very subservient (when does that get fun?). They were also involved in the staged murder of Evelyn; I think they were the ones holding the rope tied to the girl's hands? I couldn't see why they weren't at least a bit concerned over the whole thing. Perhaps it was as the character Bjorn said, that some women wanted to be treated as props.

Evelyn's character appeared to me as a very childish young adult. Someone who craved attention and couldn't decide between the realistic but stable boyfriend, or the dangerous and obsessive shaman (who seemed a bit old to be chasing her around the forest, by modern standards).

Part of her character seemed to be that she couldn't handle stress. She was either running away from something, or refusing to answer difficult questions. Although, the difference between hiding after stabbing the King, and jumping off a short waterfall after causing her boyfriend's death could show character development (a sense of responsibility?). Or perhaps it was the mad shaman-smile that pushed her over the edge.

Yeah, I've thought about this too much.

The movie was so well-crafted that you could line school-kids up to write essays about it.. if the school-kids didn't mind a bit of antler-vs-face or sledgehammer-vs-head.

[–] herocladingreen 12 years ago

But the movie wasnt trying to make larpers look crazy

i just watched it yesterday and it was clear the "celts" drank ayahuasca before going on the wild hunt.
Its not suprising that a plant that makes you think its from outer space (and here to take over the world) might drive you to view "fake enemies" as real ones.

[–] thetheeyecreature 12 years ago

Well, it'd be crazy to take a psychoactive substance like ayahuasca in that context.

I'm not a larper, but I've been in the SCA for 30 years.

Good review. Couple of notes:

Weaponry: 1) It was never clear to me whether "Mjolnir" was (within the movie) a real sledgehammer or a foam weapon. Obviously, in the last scene Bjorn uses (within the movie) a real sledgehammer to commit a real murder.

2) The "celts" seemed to be a lot of troublemakers and rulebreakers; I wouldn't be surprised if they had an illegal weapon like the retractable prop knife.

Agreed -- should have been several more GMs.

About the characters:

Agreed, Lyn was an awful character. Pouty, selfish, and uncaring. She lies to her boyfriend, neglects to tell him she's dumping him, then gets all slutty with Murtagh (who struck me immediately as a total douche). When Erik goes to the trouble to come and seek her out, asking for an honest conversation, she won't even say a word to him. Yet, once she gets scared and realizes the idiot "celts" are willing to kidnap and perhaps rape her, she's happy to accept Erik's help. Then she's lovey-dovey until the first thing goes wrong (Erik's car not starting) and begins heaping abuse on him.

I don't know why he even tried to get her back.

About the other characters: the ones that stand out (Bjorn, Argyle, Murtagh and his gang) are like an unceasing parade of the most annoying behaviors I've ever seen in the SCA: ridiculous histrionic declamation in place of believable conversation; trash-talking instead of sportsmanship; guys who think their made-up rank in an imaginary world makes them actually important; guys who use role-playing as an excuse to be giant a-holes (in a way that's fun for them but not for anyone else).

(Of course, I've never seen or heard of anyone going nuts and actually killing people, although a few of our members over the years have committed murders or other major crimes in the everyday world. Like with any large social club.)

Fortunately, the vast majority of people I've met in the SCA (and I'm sure this is true of larp groups in general) are perfectly nice people, usually very considerate in fact. People from many walks of life (roofers, machinists, accountants, college kids, doctors and lawyers) who share an enthusiasm. (And a lot of artists, musicians, and writers like myself.)

I definitely would say "The Wild Hunt" is a good advertisement for larping, but I enjoyed it.

"The truth 24 times a second."