Time of the Wolf

Following an unspecified apocalyptic event that has disrupted society, a middle-class French family—Anne, her husband Georges, and their children Eva and Ben—travel to their rural vacation home, hoping to find safety. Upon arrival, they discover the house already occupied by an armed man and his family. When Georges tries to de-escalate the situation, he is abruptly shot and killed. The intruding family allows Anne and her children to leave with only minimal belongings, forcing them to wander the surrounding countryside.

As Anne leads Eva and Ben through a landscape ravaged by collapse, they encounter evidence of widespread devastation: villages abandoned or hostile, burned livestock on pyres, and other desperate survivors unwilling or unable to help. They eventually meet a feral, emotionally detached teenage boy who has survived alone in the wild. Anne attempts to care for him as well, but the boy is wary.

After days of hardship, the group arrives at a railway station where other refugees have gathered, hoping that a train will eventually come. The station is populated by people of different ethnic backgrounds and social classes, and the group has a self-appointed leader named Koslowski. Tensions soon emerge over access to resources, which must be earned by bartering whatever possessions are left or by services, including sexual favors from the women.

Later Anne meets Béa, a woman also from the city, who whispers to Anne that she thinks their situation has something to do with “the Just,” 36 righteous people who roam the earth, for whose sake the world escapes destruction.

Anne’s daughter, Eva, grows close with the feral teenage boy, who soon abandons the community. The boy returns to steal one of the goats, which Eva perceives as a betrayal and immoral. At one point, Eva witnesses a rape occurring while the group is sleeping and throws herself over her sleeping brother to shield him.

Another moment of horror for Eva and Anne is the discovery that Georges’s killer, with his wife and child, has joined their group. Anne pleas to have them removed, but the larger group refuses, based on lack of evidence. There are similar accusations directed by one of the guards against a Pole in Koslowski’s original group, accusing him of murdering a local farmer.

Entertainment at the station is provided by an old man who swallows razor blades and tells tales about people who throw themselves into fire, sacrificing themselves.

Anne’s son, Ben, increasingly withdrawn and suffering from chronic nosebleeds, appears to be affected by an unexplained illness. One night, he leaves the camp alone and strips down before a burning fire on the tracks—an apparent act of sacrifice intended to stop a passing train. A man from the camp finds Ben just in time and pulls him away. He tells Ben that the willingness to die has been seen and understood, and that Ben’s life still holds value. He promises to tell the others about Ben’s strength, giving the child a reason to live.

Abruptly, the film cuts to its final scene: a silent, tracking shot from a moving train, gliding through a serene countryside. There are no passengers or voices and no signs of the refugees.

Last Updated: August 09, 2025 at 18:37