At the Fantasy Filmfest, many films from the horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres can be enjoyed every year. But many other genres also find their place. During the festival, MeinMMO author Nikolas Hernes watched a film that fascinated him despite its bizarre premise.
Which film is it? The French film The Animal Kingdom, which will be called Animalia in German, was featured at Fantasy Filmfest 2023. The premise sounds bizarre at first. Due to an unknown disease, humans suddenly transform into animals.
As they mutate slowly into an animal, they lose more and more humanity as the disease progresses. The focus of the story is on François and his son Émile. Émile’s mother is also suffering from the illness and should actually be taken care of in a medical center in rural France.
But during an accident during the patient transport, she disappears, and François does everything he can to find her. Meanwhile, Émile is at a new school and has to cope with the problems regarding his mother as well as navigate the challenges there.
A French trailer for the film can be seen here:
A film full of emotional themes
Despite its sci-fi premise, The Animal Kingdom is a quiet and emotional film that primarily focuses on the father-son relationship between François and Émile. And here, one must give great praise.
The two actors Romain Duris and Paul Kircher have a wonderful chemistry together. Whether they are laughing, crying, or arguing, everything always feels authentic and is fantastically acted. But Paul Kircher also impresses on his own with his talent, and every minute one feels with him.
The actual disease in The Animal Kingdom is a framework that tells many coming-of-age themes. One’s own puberty and the process of growing up and rebelling against parental structures are depicted here without clichés and effectively.
Émile is not just a rebellious teen who constantly yells at his father. The many moments of crisis are balanced by fun and emotional scenes that have personally moved me.
One understands both sides, and François, who only wants to protect his son and keep his family together, is authentic and relatable. The themes of societal exclusion, acceptance, and a violent society weave beautifully into this personal story.
More science fiction films can be found in this list:
The 13 Best Science Fiction Films According to IMDb
Great costumes and effects
In addition to the acting and writing performance, the costumes of the animal-human hybrids are a true highlight. Practical effects were used here, making many of the costumes look fantastic. There is hardly any CGI nonsense that harms the immersion.
And the concepts of the different mutated humans are fascinating, leading to small body horror moments that never turn into actual scares or horror. A quiet film with such a premise and setup is a nice change of pace.
As a fan of such premises, I was incredibly impressed by how emotional the film really is. The father-son relationship captured me throughout the entire film, and the various costumes were a little highlight. I can only recommend everyone to give the film a chance and believe that it is really worth it when it is released in the regular market here.
The film is expected to be released in Germany in January 2024 under the title Animalia.
If you are into really hardcore horror, we have another list for you:
