Greece has an endemic tradition of radical, extreme cinema, which expressly seeks to shock the viewer, thereby conveying a critical, pathological feeling, truly distrustful of human nature and social organization. The main exception would have been Theo Angelopoulos, with his long takes and beautifully and profoundly filmed social and political themes.
But this Animal, by young director Sofia Exarchou, the second feature of her career after Park in 2016, fits perfectly into this allegorical trend of physical and psychological violence.
The film shows the dark side of mass tourism on a Greek island through a group of entertainers from a large hotel, who live in a semi-collective communion, behind the scenes of the building, in an empty, depressing routine, without meaning or escape. A far from golden cage that consumes their lives, in a supposed paradise for foreign tourists, leading them to a progressive nihilistic alienation. A film for those who enjoy pessimistic views of life.
