Two cutting-edge scientists give 'birth' to a Neanderthal—the first to walk the earth for some 35,000 years—in order to attempt to answer these questions. Part 'normal' child, part science experiment, William’s 'parents' struggle with the best way to raise him. As William grows toward adulthood, he is educated in the human experiences of love and intimacy. But his primitive impulses begin to emerge the more he tries to conform to human expectations, leading to tragic consequences for him and his loved ones.
Acting
Brittain's physicality sells the evolutionary uncanny valley.
Practical Effects
Subtle prosthetics that avoid Planet of the Apes territory.
Director
Tim Disney
Maria Dizzia
Dr. Sullivan
Will Brittain
William
Waleed Zuaiter
Dr. Reed
Susan Park
Sarah
Beth Grant
Dr. Thomas
Paul Guilfoyle
President Clayborn
Jerry Wasserman
Chairman Douglass
Ted Cole
Ted
David Nykl
Principal Bernstein
Noel Johansen
Dr. Winslow
Callum Seagram Airlie
William, age 10
Christian Convery
William, age 5
Diana Pavlovská
Darlene
Gaalen Engen
Dr. Rowley
Dee Jay Jackson
Officer Jerry
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Tim Disney is Walt Disney's great-nephew, making this perhaps the strangest thing to come from that bloodline since Song of the South.
The film quietly mirrors Frankenstein's structure but swaps hubris for liberal guilt—William's creators genuinely love him, which somehow makes the horror worse.
US
