The Animal Kingdom

I didn't expect much - the story sounded intriguing but more than often the execution is lacking.

Boy, was I wrong. This one pulled me right in. It's a very well rounded film, impressive actors, great storytelling, amazing pictures / camera work and very catchy music. It really felt like I was part of the story.

Is this the best film I've ever seen? Probably not. But it is a great production and I had an exciting evening with a lot of emotions. We even talked about it for quite a while afterwards.

It's very nice to see european film productions on that level. I hope it'll hit the streaming services some day soon.

At satire, a coming-of-age story, and ecological fable... The Animal Kingdom is all that at the same time. It is also a drama and a comedy, a love story, a father-son story... A hybrid film of crazy ambition, which unfolds gradually to end up as nothing less than a redefinition of our relationship to the world and to nature. Without grandiloquent speeches but with great intelligence in the distillation of its story elements and a great sense of imagery. Because above all else, The Animal Kingdom is a real, big fantasy film, which makes the most of its average French film budget to show creatures and shots never seen before, ones that we'll never forget. Without saying too much, the way in which one specific creature returns in the film and causes a shift in the perception of the characters and the audience simply by the way it is filmed demonstrates an acute science of cinematographic art. It might now work for some people, but I am convinced that for others this film can be a truly foundational experience. People will decide to make films after seeing this film, people will change their lives. I saw it 4 days ago and in moments of doubt or sadness, I think about it and it's like a balm. To be honest, I don't really know how to explain it. There is something magical about this film.

The term "multilayered" is so overused in reviews but this is the first word that came into my mind as i am writing this. This is the definition of a "multilayered" movie. There are so many interpretations for this movie, even contradictory to each other. But it's not even an "open to interpretation" movie, i mean, you can take literally what is happening here, it's not necessary to look for metaphors or allegories. Personally though, i don't think this is a straightforward story. I believe there is a message here, in fact, this is a GREAT message, not like some suspicious and weird Holywood messages. The message here is : UNITY. Don't let powerful people/Governments/International or local Institutions/billionaires and even our inside fears and bad part of ourselves divide us. Power to the people.

Regarding the movie per se : Not just multilayered but even a multiple genre movie. A coming of age dramedy? A drama fantasy? A sci fi thriller? A post apocalyptic movie? A dark comedy/allegory? It's difficult to categorize it. In any case, this was enjoyable, even exciting at times. The biggest flaw here was its running time, this should have been 15 minutes shorter because there were some unnecessary/boring scenes. And the pace was not good at times. But overall, these things were not a distraction. Characters are so likeable that you root hard for them. Duris is a famous, great actor but Kircher was also amazing. Exarchopoulos did also a good job. There were many intense moments, many emotional moments and whilst there were not mindblowing twists, still i couldn't guess exactly where it goes.

The ending was MAGNIFICENT.

More ambitious movies like this, please.

The animal kingdom is a film that does good, already it is a new proof that when French fantasy cinema dares, it is. Imperfect also, yes, some dialogue and situation are not perfectly credible with some biases in the history a little steep and fast, But we easily forgive him so much to see the real staging and endearing characters all in a scenario that surprises and surprises, offers a real breath of fresh air. Full of poetry, the story managed to do what we have been waiting for so long: a real fantasy film, not an American film antic.

My only regret, even if the casting is interesting, remains the director of actor who at times is a really little right especially with the character of Émile and Julia (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Romain Duris is as for him and as often, impeccable. So yes the dialogues are not always well written and it's even quite surprising, because the film is doing very well at other times. In short, it is a bit irregular and it is a bit of a shame, like its history which does not always sound very realistic in the treatment of bugs in our society.

But the heart is elsewhere, the Animal Kingdom also chooses to be more poetic than realistic and it is little to be for better to avoid some discomfort that could occur for the benefit of what it tells. He catches up in every way with a treatment much smarter than it seems, full of meaning with his quality staging. The special effects are superb, the story offers an intelligent look that takes the guts (personally I really hooked from half) with a touch of humor well dosed. A little like the main character who assumes himself, the film seems to follow the same path, when he becomes himself, he touches with the finger what we hoped for more with French fantasy cinema: to tell something powerful and authentic without overbidding. Sign of our time, emphasis of our time on our own metamorphosis, it is a real moment of unexpected freedom that makes a crazy good.

An unusual phenomenon is spreading in the world. Humans randomly start mutating into animals. The cause of this process is unknown, and the treatments do not give results. The film focuses on a high school student who lives with his father, while his mother is in the process of mutation in a specialized institution.

"The Animal Kingdom" is a coming-of-age drama with elements of fantasy and horror and some humor. It can be interpreted in various ways, literally and metaphorically, but I don't want to get into that multitude of interpretations, let everyone judge for themselves. I will present only my impressions, positive and negative.

The film is visually beautiful. Cinematography, make-up, and effects are superb, and for much less money than in Hollywood. The creatures, for lack of a better term, are striking and endearing. Romain Duris is good in the role of the father, and Paul Kircher in the role of the son gave an Oscar-worthy performance. I like the messages that the film sends, and the main asset is certainly the originality of the premise and the approach to it.

However, in my opinion, the script is too weak for such an original and interesting idea. The story is insufficiently developed, especially for a film of over two hours. You will not find out how and why these mutations occur and on what scale. If humans devolved into lower primates, the film would fall into the realm of sci-fi, but as they randomly mutate into literally anything and everything, not just mammals, but insects, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, I'd rather classify it as fairy tale fantasy, which conflicts with the very realistic tone of the film. I get the impression that "The Animal Kingdom" got dissolved in trying to cover too many themes and send too many messages across too many genres, and as a result, it felt sketchy and tepid. The authors bit off more than they could swallow and failed to fulfill the big potential of the project they embarked on.

Overall, a technically good but essentially disappointing film. Still, it's worth watching, if for no other reason than for the contrast to the garbage America is showering us with, the original ideas and performance of Paul Kircher.

7/10.