Amanda Seyfried and Scoot McNairy's Prison Drama Is the Most Brutal Thing You'll Watch All Year | TIFF Review

Published Sep 21, 2026, 3:17 PM EDT

Therese Lacson is a Senior TV Editor who has been with Collider since 2021. She got started in this business over ten years ago working primarily as an interviewer and critic. At Collider, she works closely with the features team to support the writers and also ideates and develops content daily. She has covered major industry events including Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Toronto International Film Festival, and San Diego Comic-Con. Although she reviews and covers both film and television, her focus is in television and her expertise is in fantasy and sci-fi genre shows. Her favorite shows to cover include House of the Dragon, Bridgerton, Fallout, 9-1-1, and Rivals. 

Returning to TIFF this year is Tim Blake Nelson, who once again takes up the mantle of director with the brutal and heartbreaking The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd. He follows his last directorial effort, the 2015 drama Anesthesia, with another heavy narrative feature, this time following a woman teaching at a prison and the convict she forms a bond with. Starring Amanda Seyfried and Scoot McNairy, it tackles difficult topics like capital punishment, domestic abuse, and what long-term incarceration can do to a person, which Nelson weaves in with poetry and thoughtful storytelling, making it one of the most unforgettable films of the festival.

What Is 'The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd' About?

Image via TIFF

The first time Karen (Seyfried) arrives at the Oklahoma prison where Wilson Shedd (McNairy) is held, she's in desperate need of a job. Forced to be the family breadwinner while her deadbeat husband, Kenneth (Grant Harvey), drinks and lazes around the house, Karen is at the prison to teach creative writing. Almost immediately, one of the inmates makes a crude comment toward her, and Wilson snaps at him in her defense. Wilson is, surprisingly, a thoughtful and expressive writer. And for Karen, who is an avid reader and lover of literature, finding a talent like Wilson's is rare.

But as the classes continue, Karen and Wilson's relationship slowly develops into something more complicated. He's transfixed by her and the way that she speaks to the class with a respect that they don't often receive. He sees her as an angelic figure, and his stories, in turn, move Karen in a way she hasn't previously experienced. As feelings slowly begin to entangle, Kenneth grows jealous, and when he finds out about Wilson, he takes it out on Karen without a second thought. Nelson is absolutely brutal in depicting this abusive relationship, never once holding back while showing us how bad Karen's life is at home, giving us an understanding of just why she's found comfort in someone like Wilson.

As all this is happening, Nelson employs a non-linear storyline to show us that in the future, Wilson is now on death row, awaiting execution due to a crime that we aren't privy to yet. As the pieces fall into place, we see where Karen and Wilson's entanglement leads them. The film's steady pace slowly allows the audience to piece together the horrifying truth of Wilson Shedd's crimes, but it also forces us to witness the absolute brutality and inhumanity of capital punishment at the same time. Nelson's film is a punishing and painful 121 minutes, but it is not without heart. We slowly grow to care for Wilson and Karen and become invested in their story, which only makes the film's conclusion that much more painful when it finally comes around.

Scoot McNairy Shines in 'The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd'

Image by Photagonist

While Wilson Shedd boasts an impressive cast featuring the likes of Seyfried, Wunmi Mosaku, William Jackson Harper, Missi Pyle, and Nelson himself, it is McNairy who ultimately shines as one of the most powerful performers. Both threatening and earnest, there's something undeniably charismatic about Wilson Shedd and his honesty, and much of that is attributed to McNairy's presence. Early in the film, we see exactly how dangerous Wilson can be as a person. He isn't some wronged victim of the system; there's no doubt that he is guilty of his crimes. Unafraid to get blood on his hands, he's not someone to be underestimated and, at a glance, anyone would second-guess being in a room with him.

But that menacing aura is slowly peeled away as we learn more about him. One of the first times we hear from Wilson is when he's writing to Karen, telling her a first-person story about how, as a child, he repeatedly shot a squirrel while hunting. It's a dark story, one that is as uncomfortable to tell as it is to watch play out on screen. But McNairy's straightforward and honest narration gives us a sense of understanding. The memory is horrid, but it's coming from someone who sees exactly how bad it is and acknowledges it.

This is the magic of the character. He never once denies his crimes — he's committed them all — but McNairy's performance as Wilson makes us hope that he might be able to change. His chivalrous attitude towards Karen and his introspective writing make him incredibly human. He acknowledges the dehumanizing element of prison, but it also seems to have given him some clarity as we read his words to Karen. It helps that Seyfried and McNairy have a strong connection on screen, one that relies on just the briefest of scenes together, as most of their conversations are one-sided and come through Wilson's own writing.

'The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd' Is Heavy and Heartbreaking, but We Can't Look Away

Wilson Shedd plays out like a tragic chronicle of one man's life, and Nelson is clever in the way he tells that story. The non-linear timeline slowly doles out information about how Wilson and Karen develop their bond, while intercutting those scenes with the story of how he ultimately ends up on death row. By the end of it all, it's impossible to forgive Wilson for his crimes; what he's done can't be excused. However, the film emphasizes the horrors of capital punishment as we see Pyle's prison warden discuss firsthand the trauma that she has developed from witnessing multiple executions in the past. There's no glamour or justice in these moments; just pain, death, and an uneasy sense that two wrongs don't make a right and killing a murderer doesn't solve any problems.

There's a lot to unpack with The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd — so much so that I question whether this would have been better as a miniseries that gave its storylines more time to breathe. But there's just enough holding the film together to keep it all contained. Although Seyfried will likely be the biggest draw for the film as she is the most notable name of the bunch, it's really McNairy's story and his performance that make it. Karen's own story lacks the same type of developed nuance that we see with Wilson's, and that's a bit of a shame. The depth and clarity of Wilson Shedd's character is what makes the film worth watching, and the message it leaves behind is haunting enough to keep you thinking long after the credits have rolled.

Cast

• 

  Karen

• 

  Kevin Wayne

  Ray

The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd follows a teacher trapped in an abusive marriage who begins working at a maximum security prison. She becomes involved with a charismatic inmate, leading to a series of events that challenge the concepts of punishment and humanity's boundaries.

Pros & Cons

• Scoot McNairy steals the spotlight in 'Wilson Shedd,' delivering one of his strongest performances.
• Nelson's script and narrative style adds the perfect depth and nuance to a complicated story.

• There are a lot of topics being tackled in the film, but not all of them get the same type of development that they deserve.