The Animal Kingdom
Le Règne animal
Thomas Cailley
© 2023 Nord-Ouest Films, Studiocanal, France 2 Cinéma, Artémis Productions
In a world gripped by a wave of mutations that are gradually transforming certain humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who has been affected by this mysterious phenomenon. As the region becomes populated with a new kind of creature, he takes Émile, their 16-year-old son, on a quest that will change their lives forever.
Cast : Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier, Billie Blain, Xavier Aubert, Saadia Bentaïeb
Scenario : Thomas Cailley, Pauline Munier
Cinematography : David Cailley
Editing : Lilian Corbeille
Music : Andrea Laszlo De Simone
Scenario : Thomas Cailley, Pauline Munier
Cinematography : David Cailley
Editing : Lilian Corbeille
Music : Andrea Laszlo De Simone
Production : Nord-Ouest Films
Distribution : Studio Canal
Distribution : Studio Canal
The Animal Kingdom achieves something rare, if not unique, in contemporary French cinema: it takes on Hollywood on its own turf (blockbuster horror films), while remaining resolutely French. Those who want to climb this Everest can generally take two routes. The cleverest embrace spectacular deflation as a strength, playing with off-screen space and atmospheric variations: Julia Ducournau, the Boukherma brothers and Thomas Salvador are good recent examples. Others artificially flex their muscles and give their snatched images an air of you’ll see what you’ll see" that deflates at the first green screen (most of EuropaCorp’s production and a good part of French horror cinema of the 2000s)." (Jacky Goldberg; lesinrocks.com)