En route, they meet the openly two-spirit Pasmay (Joshua Odjick), who becomes both a guide to Lincoln in reconnecting with his indigenous roots and a love interest.

Lincoln "Link" (Lewitski) is a teenager in his late teens who lives with his abusive single father and younger brother Travis (Winters-Anthony) in a run-down trailer park in Canada.

After a particularly brutal beating, and upon learning that his mother, who he had long believed to be dead, is still alive, Link impulsively runs away with Travis to go find her.

Link becomes defensive and a short scuffle ensues but the three quickly board Pasmay's car when the store clerk threatens to call the police.

He storms out, upset and frustrated, but is happy when Pasmay reveals he stole the rehab centre's file on Link's mom, which provides an address for her.

The website's consensus reads, "A coming-of-age story with several refreshing twists, Wildhood sends its protagonist on a bittersweet, beautifully filmed journey.

"[7] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film favourably, writing that "The trio’s dynamic is entertaining, and they crack jokes with the same fierceness with which they argue.

Maybe I’m a sucker for romance, but watching Link and Pasmay steal glances and exchange knowing smirks begins to feel more thrilling than the journey itself.

Lewitski, who stars in Hulu's Utopia Falls, and Odjick have a subtle and exciting chemistry that makes rooting for their budding love easy.

"[8] For The Coast, Morgan Mullin wrote that "the movie is at its strongest when it turns away from the family that abandoned its leads and leans into their frisson-filled connection instead (even if their most intimate moment borrows a touch too heavily from Moonlight).