It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2018,[2][3][4] and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 19, 2018.

He is offered his old job back but refuses out of pride, and instead of looking for work, he sleeps in his car and watches the local firefighting efforts against a forest fire raging in nearby mountains.

One day, Jerry decides to take a low-paying job fighting the forest fire, which upsets Jeannette and worries Joe.

Jeannette does not admit to caring about Miller or no longer loving Jerry, but concedes that the affair will make their life financially better, and she implores Joe to think of a better plan for her.

Jerry returns and is met with a lukewarm reception by Jeannette, who reveals that she has begun renting an apartment in town, and Joe is free to stay with her.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Wildlife's portrait of a family in crisis is beautifully composed by director Paul Dano -- and brought brilliantly to life by a career-best performance from Carey Mulligan.

He called Oxenbould "an exciting find" and stated of Dano's direction as "meticulous in every respect, which enables him to keep the characters at a remove that is both cleareyed and compassionate.

"[20] Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying, "This is an accomplished, moving piece of filmmaking, one that cares about its characters and trusts its performers.

It comes from a relatively old school of dramatic storytelling but it connects emotionally because of Dano’s tender but confident work and what he’s able to draw from two of the best performers of their generation.

"[21] Variety's Owen Gleiberman called Dano "a natural-born filmmaker, with an eye for elegant spare compositions that refrain from being too showy" and gave the film 4 out of 5 stars.

"[23] The Guardian's Jordan Hoffman gave the film three stars out of five, saying "It is a quiet, subtle story and, as is so often the case when an actor takes their first trip behind the camera, a showcase for terrific performances.

[25] The release includes interviews with director Paul Dano, screenwriter Zoe Kazan, actors Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal, cinematographer Diego García, production designer Akin McKenzie, and costume designer Amanda Ford, as well as new conversations on the film's postproduction with Dano, editor Matthew Hannam, and composer David Lang.