Vicky and Her Mystery is a 2021 French family drama film directed by Denis Imbert. It tells the story of 8-year-old Victoria (Shanna Keil) who has become mute after the recent death of her mother.
1. What is the Plot of ‘Vicky And Her Mystery’
The movie begins by showing a wolf pack being hunted, with one adult wolf shot and killed while a wolf pup escapes. 8-year old Victoria has recently lost her mother and moves with her father Stéphane to an old family farmhouse in the mountains.
Victoria is traumatized and has stopped speaking since her mother’s death. On a hike, Victoria and Stéphane get lost and come across a farm where the owner gifts Victoria a puppy named “Mystery”.
2. What Causes Victoria to Speak Again?
Victoria starts bonding with the puppy and begins speaking again. Stéphane allows Victoria to keep Mystery, though soon realizes the puppy is actually a wolf cub. Despite warnings from others, Stéphane cannot bear to separate his daughter from Mystery.
The family lives happily with the wolf cub for a while. However, when Mystery is confirmed to be a wolf, authorities take him away to a wildlife reserve. A depressed Victoria follows Mystery when he briefly escapes the reserve and comes looking for her.
Stéphane finds Victoria collapsed in the snow and brings both her and Mystery home. However, Mystery gets shot by a local farmer. Though Stéphane manages to save Mystery’s life through surgery.
3. How do Victoria and Mystery Get Separated?
Victoria realizes the danger of keeping a wild wolf. She makes the difficult decision of releasing Mystery to rejoin his wolf pack in the mountains, accepting that is where he belongs.
The ending sees Victoria lead Mystery back to the mountains to join a pack of wild wolves. She removes his collar, signaling his return to his natural wolf state. Though heartbroken, Victoria makes the selfless choice to give Mystery his best chance at survival.
The movie concludes with a photo of the real-life Victoria and grown Mystery years later, showing their enduring connection. The bittersweet ending resolves the central conflict – Mystery can’t safely co-exist in the human world but thanks to Victoria’s sacrifice, lives on happily in the wild.
4. Is it a True Story?
The movie is inspired by the real life story of a girl named Victoria who adopted a wolf cub named Mystery when she was 3 years old. The end credits show a recent photo of the real Victoria and Mystery.
5. What Was‘Vicky And Her Mystery’ Dog Breed?
The canine was actually a grey wolf, not a domestic dog. Its name was Mystery.
6. Is ‘Vicky and Her Mystery’ Worth Watching?
Vicky and Her Mystery succeeds very well as a gentle and charming family film. While the plot may seem simplistic on the surface, the exploration of grief, human-animal bonds, and man’s relationship with nature gives it some meaningful themes.
The cinematography is gorgeous, capturing the beauty of the Auvergne landscapes and bringing them to life as almost another character. The trained wolves used in the film are exceptionally natural on screen, especially the wolf puppy playing Mystère, who is impossibly adorable.
The acting is also praiseworthy, particularly lead actress Shanna Keil who is able to portray a complex emotional journey despite being only 8 years old.
There are a few logical gaps, like how Victoria is able to keep the rapidly growing wolf puppy secret for so long. But these can be forgiven as necessary for the story. The conflict with the farmers also feels underdeveloped.
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But overall the pacing works well and the film remains engaging throughout its brief 84 minute runtime. Vicky and Her Mystery succeeds as a touching tale of the bonds between humans and animals. Fans of films like The Fox and the Child are likely to enjoy this sweet animal tale.
