| Wild Attraction | | :------------------ | | No official poster available | | Directed by | Elena Vance | | Written by | Marcus Thorne, Lisa Ramirez (story by) | | Produced by | Sophia Chen, David O’Malley | | Starring | Olivia Hayes, Liam Carter, Zoe Nakamura | | Cinematography | Paolo Rizzo | | Edited by | Jenna Wong | | Music by | Aisha Devi | | Production companies | Silver Creek Pictures, Wildheart Productions | | Distributed by | IndieReleasing (North America), Global Arts Cinema (International) | | Release dates | May 18, 2025 (Cannes Film Festival); June 10, 2025 (United States, limited) | | Running time | 104 minutes | | Country | United States, Canada | | Language | English | | Budget | $4.5 million | | Box office | $1.2 million |
Wild Attraction is a 2025 romantic drama thriller film directed by Elena Vance, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Olivia Hayes as a wildlife biologist who becomes entangled with a mysterious poacher played by Liam Carter. It premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Acid sidebar and received a limited theatrical release in June 2025.
Unlike lost media such as London After Midnight or the original Star Wars Holiday Special, Wild Attraction never had a theatrical trailer. However, a 30-second TV spot was created for the Canadian market in 2010, using generic footage of cheetahs and a voiceover stolen from a different film. The rights to that footage are currently owned by a shell company in Belize. wild attraction movie wikipedia exclusive
Exclusive Update: A low-resolution, watermarked version of this TV spot was uploaded to Vimeo in 2018 under the username DeltaGhost89. It has since been made private. The audio contains the tagline: “In the wild, love draws blood.”
Wild Attraction follows Dr. Lena Vance (Sydney Sweeney) , a disillusioned wildlife biologist sent to a remote, rewilded island off the coast of Connemara, Ireland. Her mission: to document the return of a near-mythical pack of grey wolves. However, she discovers she is not alone. Wild Attraction (film) | Wild Attraction | |
Living off-grid in a dilapidated stone bothy is Kael O’Rourke (Jacob Elordi) , a fugitive former animal rights activist with a savant-like connection to the wolf pack. Initially adversaries—Lena by the book, Kael by instinct—they are forced into an uneasy alliance when a private security team (funded by a shadowy biotech corporation) arrives to capture the wolves for genetic weaponization.
The “wild attraction” of the title is twofold: the primal, dangerous chemistry between Lena and Kael, and a shocking third-act revelation that the wolves themselves carry a rare neurochemical compound that induces uncontrollable empathy—or obsessive love—in humans. The film pits ecological grief against carnal desire, asking: Is their love real, or just a chemical side effect of the wild? The Cast: Where Are They Now
The Wikipedia cast list is a virtual "I know that face!" generator. While the leads didn't become household names, the supporting cast is peppered with character actors who went on to massive success in prestige TV.
The film serves as a time capsule, capturing a specific era of acting where the "sweaty, nervous leading man" was king. As the Wikipedia page notes in its "Reception" section: "Critics at the time dismissed the film as derivative, but modern reappraisals praise its unflinching look at obsession and its jazz-infused score."