Winter Wolf

From the makers of the multi-award winning Spirit Of The Eagle, this new young adult drama tells the story of 14-year-old Callie, a Native American girl living in the backwoods country of northeastern Washington State. After sighting a timber wolf, she hooks up with an expert who is studying the phenomenon of the return of the wolves and trying to allay the fears of the local ranchers. In talks between Callie and the expert, much of the mythology of wolves is replaced by the truth, and viewers gain valuable insights to this unfairly maligned creature. Too, since Callie has difficulties with the town kids, she identifies with the lone wolf she meets (later, she helps a pair of town bullies who stumble upon a wolf). While lacking the crisp dialogue and quick pacing of Spirit Of The Eagle, Winter Wolf is still a good film with excellent footage of wolves, the same Native American approach to the sanctity of wildlife, and a story that pre-teens and young adults will readily identify with. Recommended. (Available from: Wehman Video, 2366 Eastlake Ave. E., Suite 420, Seattle, WA 98102.)