Or Maybe… the U.S. Government Has Found a New Wolf Repellent — and It’s Straight out of an Oscar-Winner

Although Marriage Story only earned relatively few Oscars during its run and could be called awards bait, one scene will always remain iconic in the minds of those who watch it. The breakdown between Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) near the final act remains one of the best-acted scenes in recent years. It’s become so impactful that the U.S. government has used it as an unconventional method to scare away packs of wolves hunting cattle in the West. The audio may have a strategic purpose, but it also literally speaks volumes about the level of raw emotions present in that moment, one that can unnerve both humans and animals alike.

Yes, the U.S. Government Is Using the ‘Marriage Story’ Argument Scene as a Scare Tactic

As urbanized as the world might be, nature never misses an opportunity to screw with human plans, and packs of wolves are an intimidating prospect to almost anyone. It’s been said that the best way to fend off a wolf attack is to make yourself loud like a predator, and it’s even an official recommendation in some states. Much more than humans, though, they’re a plague to cattle herds out in the American West, who do not have any such ability to chase them off. Thankfully, humans are more creative, and one technique raised eyebrows by using scary audio from what might be the most unlikely source imaginable.

Fairly recently, the Wall Street Journal reported the United States Department of Agriculture has been using speakers and drones to blast the most famous scene from Marriage Story as a tactic to send packs of wolves fleeing from local cattle herds. Obviously intrigued, CNN picked up the story and received confirmation from the government that yes, this is an idea they’re employing in states like Oregon. Officially, the goal here is “testing various sounds as part of a research project to see what elicits the strongest responses from the wolves,” and the famous argument is one of them. USDA officer Paul Wolf (yes, really) put it rather bluntly when asked by the network: “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.”

Still, there are endless loud noises the agency could have used to achieve the same effect, so why Marriage Story? Their surprisingly sound logic (no pun intended) was explained to CNN below in their official statement:

“The particular audio from ‘Marriage Story’ was chosen to test the effectiveness of the human voice at deterring wolves, as it has both male and female voices to represent the range of different tones. While the pilots have the ability to speak directly to the wolves through the speaker on the drone, this standard audio was chosen to control for individual differences in tone.”

The Argument in ‘Marriage Story’ Is Iconic for a Reason

The argument scene in Marriage Story is not the only source of audio the government has used to scare wolves away from local herds of livestock. In addition to the use of fireworks and gunshots, songs like “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and “Blue on Black” by Five Finger Death Punch have also reportedly been added to the playlist. The inclusion of Marriage Story feels very different, though, and not just because it’s so recognizable. As stated before, the goal here is to set off the wolves through the highest expression of human emotion, and one could argue that few relationships on film are more intense than what Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deliver in this fight.

When one watches the scene again, it’s worth remembering how reliant the stakes are on those very emotions in a scene with no music to distract viewers from the ugliness taking place. In terms of sheer impact, everything depends upon the ability of these two actors to spit venom towards each other at their maximum capacity, enough to convince you that any trace of love is gone. It’s a culmination of years of tension being released in the most volatile way one could imagine, with neither side caring who hears them. Honestly, it’s enough to intimidate just about anyone, so is it really any wonder the wolves might be afraid of this scene too?

Marriage Story

Release Date

December 6, 2019

Runtime

136 minutes

Director

Noah Baumbach

Writers

Noah Baumbach