In The Animal Kingdom, an Un Certain Regard-selected science-fiction romp from France, human-animal mutations are the new norm. Director Thomas Cailley begins things in media res with a familiar disaster-movie scene: François (Romain Duris) and Émile (Paul Kircher)––father and son, respectively––are stuck in traffic, making chit-chat, when something slowly begins capturing the attention of other drivers. An ambulance across the way begins to rumble. Then a man with a large winged arm bursts out, causing some damage before scurrying down a tunnel. Only mildly ruffled, François exchanges a jaded aphorism with another driver over: “Strange times.”
That blasé mood provides an attractive entry point to Cailley’s world: the mutants in The Animal Kingdom are a fledgling phenomenon, but the unaffected are still trying to get to work on time. At film’s start, François is taking Émile to visit his mother, who is one of the unlucky few.
That blasé mood provides an attractive entry point to Cailley’s world: the mutants in The Animal Kingdom are a fledgling phenomenon, but the unaffected are still trying to get to work on time. At film’s start, François is taking Émile to visit his mother, who is one of the unlucky few.
- 12/6/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
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