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Richard Ford’s 1990 novel “Wildlife” — now a film directed and co-written by Paul Dano — observes a family acting out of instinct as it weathers an existential crisis. Neither action nor introspection seems to help much, but the pull of nature persists.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.