Are you tired of the same old superhero movies coming out of Hollywood? Does your heart yearn for something different, for something daring and creative? Moreover, are you willing to put your emotions truly on the line and fully immerse yourself in something like this? If the answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes, have I got a movie for you or what? From the first moment I laid my eyes on it, I knew it was going to be hard-hitting. I was drawn by the images of strange creatures but at the same time felt this lingering melancholic vibe. And that fucking vibe got to me. And I’m not an easy guy to be got.
The Animal Kingdom is a creative and emotional blend of science fiction, fantasy, drama, and action well worth your time. It’s visually striking, featuring phenomenal special effects and creatures never before seen on film. Director Thomas Cailley worked for six months with comic book artist Frederik Peeters on them. All of this was happening some two years before the filming even began. Cailley wanted something unique and different from video games or superhero characters we keep seeing over and over again. He drew inspiration from such artists as Patricia Piccinini and Ron Mueck. The end result is stunning.
Welcome to the world of tomorrow! A strange virus started triggering grotesque and debilitating mutations in the human population. To put it quite bluntly, humans started mutating into various animals. Only a small percentage of the population seems to be affected. Among them is Emile’s mom. His father, François is doing everything he can to normalize the situation and help both his son and wife through this difficult period. This is why he decides to move with Emile into a small rural town. However, this is where things start to get complex. And you can say the same thing about the plot of this movie.
Director and writer Thomas Cailley tried to do everything with it. The Animal Kingdom is not just an attention-grabbing eye-candy featuring excellent cinematography and camerawork. It’s also a movie exploring the recent wave of xenophobia and racism in Europe. It also explores the role of a parent in an impossibly difficult situation and just how much it is taxing. And all of this is strapped onto a highly emotional coming-of-age story. What a brilliant idea to connect this difficult transition into adulthood, literally a mutation into adulthood with a mutation into an actual animal.
We all feel like we’re mutating during that period. I remember feeling my voice change, my physical appearance alter significantly and I dare not mention what was going on with my hormones. The girls go through even more dramatic changes, both on the inside and on the outside. You feel like there’s something wrong with you and you keep getting fascinated by these things that keep growing out of ya. The Animal Kingdom takes these things seriously. I have to admit that I was holding back tears by the end of it.
There are so many thought-provoking themes here that just as I was coming to terms with one, another one would pop out. I want to say that because there were so many of them, none of them were explored fully and much of the “heavy lifting” was left to the viewer. While this might be a bit too much for some, I found it quite refreshing. You can dive into this movie as deep as you want. If you want to stay in the shallows, you can enjoy a nice coming-of-age story and dazzling visuals.
If you want to dive into the philosophical depths of what it means to be human, you can do that as well. The choice is entirely yours. The fucking French, I keep saying that they can get away with anything. Moreover, they can make any treatment of any topic seem profound. The Animal Kingdom is everything Infested tried to be. However, as I previously mentioned, you simply have to be in the right mood for it. Your reward will be an experience like no other.
Additionally, the performances were nothing short of amazing. Young Paul Kircher was absolutely stunning in his honest, subtle, and vulnerable rendition of a troubled teen Emile. He’s going to do great things, I’m sure of it. Dependable Romain Duris was just as good as he was in The Big Picture or The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Moreover, this isn’t his first time playing a character in this type of situation.2019 Just a Breath Away features a story where deadly gas is threatening to kill everyone in France. And Duris plays a father trying to keep his family together in these dangerous circumstances.
Moving on, The Animal Kingdom takes place in a small rural town in the middle of France. What a perfect place to develop your unique coming-of-age story. It feels different growing up in a small town where everybody knows everybody. And where the wild is just a few miles away. You can run for thirty minutes and you would be deep in the woods. A sort of Lord of the Rings type of deal. Moreover, all of us who spent summers in such a place will feel at home. And those who live there will get a new perspective on things.
Okay, okay, there’s no new perspective but you know what I meant by that. Finally, there’s one thing I didn’t talk about and that’s the thing that got me in this movie. It pertains to young Emile and his life in this new environment. While this mutating virus that struck his mother might not exist in real life, other fucked up illnesses do. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. Every moment is a blessing my friends. Every fucking moment.
Director: Thomas Cailley
Writers: Thomas Cailley, Pauline Munier
Cast: Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier, Billie Blain, Saadia Bentaïeb
Fun Facts: The original idea came from a film student at the Fémis film school. Pauline Munier also came up with the original script which was then adapted by Cailley into a feature film. It’s so nice to see this connection.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16606592/
