Folks, this is how you stage a comeback as an artist. Going back to the drawing board and creating undeniably great work is not an easy process for anyone. Moreover, in an industry where female filmmakers more often than not are held to a seemingly impossible standard, one has to give Wilde her flowers for tuning out the noise, making another film, and coming back to the festival arena with this kind of success.
Of course, it has to be acknowledged that Wilde is in a position of privilege here. She has been in the industry far longer as a performer before she pivoted to directing and has the connections to weather storms like the ones she experienced in 2022. Still, while I have yet to see either film, it's hard not to be excited about them, as they are among the most talked-about projects from Sundance this year.
Time will tell how both of Wilde's 2026 projects will fare with broader audiences when they are released theatrically for everyone to consume. Film festivals are notoriously insular experiences, and sometimes, overwhelmingly positive reactions to world premieres can fall apart once general audiences have gotten a chance to see them. Just ask Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez or Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite, both of which became far more divisive once they were dropped on streaming services.
In the meantime, however, Wilde deserves praise for seemingly staging a comeback the right way. If only more artists would avoid pandering to social media trends and instead focus on bouncing back with their creative output!
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