Wildcat

The film opens with Flannery imagining a melodramatic movie trailer featuring a crazed, nymphomaniac boarder who drags her boarding-house hosts into trouble. This playful fantasy blends imagined episodes with scenes from her real life, hinting at the stories that will follow. It establishes the movie's hallmark mix of imagination and biography.

Throughout the early scenes, the film intercuts imaginary episodes with moments drawn from Flannery O'Connor's short stories such as The Comforts of Home and Everything That Rises Must Converge. The juxtaposition highlights how her inner life informs her writing and experiences. The tone shifts between whimsy and lived reality.

Flannery wins a writing competition, a victory that signals her talent and fuels her determination. The achievement propels her toward greater opportunities and sets the stage for her publishing ambitions. The moment marks a turning point in her confidence as a writer.

She travels to New York to seek approval from a publisher for her novel Wise Blood. She refuses to outline the work, insisting on presenting it on its own terms. The trip centers the film on the struggle to assert creative independence.

In New York she discusses her novel with Robert Lowell, who praises her as a talented student and with whom she shares mutual romantic feelings. The exchange underscores the personal complexities entwined with her artistic ambitions. Their rapport foreshadows later tensions in their lives.

They meet again at a writers' party where O'Connor does not get along well with other guests, highlighting social dynamics within the literary circle. The scene contrasts with the intensity of her writing aspirations and Lowell's evolving life. The party setting serves as a social counterpoint to her creative focus.

Returning from New York, she feels tired and develops facial rashes. She learns she has lupus, a disease that also claimed her father, catalyzing a shift in her priorities and daily life. The diagnosis marks a turning point in her personal and creative course.

Flannery initially refuses to see a doctor, delaying medical care as she grapples with the illness. Over time she recognizes the seriousness of lupus and begins treatment. The struggle with denial adds depth to her character’s resilience.

Her condition worsens, forcing her to use crutches and at times causing a fall down the stairs. The physical toll interferes with daily life while she continues to write in bursts of effort and stubborn persistence. The sequence emphasizes the dual burden of illness and creative labor.

Regina, Flannery's mother, offers support even as she reveals racist prejudices that complicate their relationship. The tension between care and abrasive attitudes shapes Flannery's sense of family and informs her perspective on society. Their dynamic mirrors wider conflicts in her work.

Flannery buys a peacock for comfort, turning this unusual pet into a symbol of resilience amid medical and emotional strain. The animal becomes a quiet companion as she endures illness while continuing to write. The scene adds an idiosyncratic warmth to her portrait.

An Irish priest counsels her on inner struggles and suggests acts of charity as a way to channel her gifts. She mentions James Joyce's Ulysses being banned in Ireland, which he deems needless, reinforcing a faith-inflected approach to her art. The exchange frames faith and literature as mutually shaping sources of meaning.

After receiving a letter from Lowell about his marriage to Elizabeth Hardwick, Flannery settles into a life of concentrated writing. She redirects her energy toward her craft, determined to persevere despite personal upheavals. The moment marks a renewed dedication to her literary path.

The film closes with an intertitle stating that O'Connor lived another fourteen years and eventually succumbed to lupus. The closing credits feature a quotation about the pigs' pituitary glands used for lupus injections that kept her alive. The ending ties together her perseverance and the physical toll of her illness.