The Animal Kingdom
Writer/director Thomas Cailley illustrates a compendium of creatures in his cinematic safari on human transmission and transformation.
On the scent: Paul Kircher
Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing
A virus of unknown origin has been unleashed and the world must learn to live with it. Society is forced to adapt and to isolate those who have it, while racing to find a way to lessen the virus’ strange effects. It’s a premise that feels strikingly similar to our own recent experience, which grounds writer/director Thomas Cailley’s second feature in very familiar territory. Many of us witnessed the transformation of society – and of behaviour – when the world went on lockdown in 2020. It’s through that shared context that the filmmaker explores fantasy as a disruption of daily life in his wild and wondrous The Animal Kingdom.
French cinema is filled with a rich history of fantasy. The vivid imagination of filmmakers such as Georges Méliès and Jean Cocteau are just a few examples of the pioneers that have ignited the screen with magic throughout the history of film. From The Shaggy Dog to The Lobster, Pinnochio to Turning Red, the canon of cinema has also embraced a fascination with animal transformations. The Animal Kingdom follows faithfully in these traditions, depicting a spectacular world where a wave of mutations are transforming human beings into animals. François (Romain Duris) is doing everything he can to save his wife, who has been affected by the strange metamorphosis. Meanwhile, his 16-year-old son Émile (Paul Kircher) wrestles with being comfortable in his own skin. It’s an evolution that’s shifted the way humans live and both men struggle to find a way forward in the new normal.
Rather than changing by moonlight or animorphing at whim, the slower pace of the transmutation from human to animal lends itself to thoughts of the real physical changes that happen in our own lives. It’s the element that sets the film apart from all of its fellow movie animalia. Many of us experience moments in our relationship with our parents or our children where the way of relating must evolve because of a transformation like puberty or ageing. With a return to primitive instincts, the characters also experience a freedom of expression within their emotional life, mirroring the emotions that often surround our real life seasons of change. The father/son relationship certainly illustrates what a confusing time coming of age can be for young adults — and the parents trying to guide them. Rather than being didactic, the film’s mutations and their social-political implications remain open to interpretation, giving a particularly resonant depth to this conversation about the nature of life itself.
Original Title: Le Règne animal
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier, Billie Blain, Xavier Aubert, Saadia Bentaïeb, Gabriel Caballero, Iliana Khelifa, Paul Muguruza.
Dir Thomas Cailley, Pro Pierre Guyard, Screenplay Thomas Cailley and Pauline Munier, Ph David Cailley, Pro Des Julia Lemaire, Ed Lilian Corbeille, Music Andrea Laszlo De Simone, Costumes Ariane Daurat.
Nord-Ouest Films/Studiocanal/France 2 Cinéma/Artémis Productions/Canal+/Ciné+/France Télévisions/Cinécap 6/Palatine Étoile 20/Cinémage 17/Cineaxe 4/Entourage Sofica/Indéfilms 11/Shelter Prod/Taxshelter.be-Magnet Releasing (US).
128 mins. France/Belgium. 2023. US Rel: 15 March 2024. Not Rated.
