THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
After his wife falls victim to a mysterious mutation that causes humans to change into animals, devoted dad François (Romain Duris) attempts a fresh start by moving south with his teenage son Émile (Paul Kircher). Soon after arriving in their new abode, François’s wife disappears into the forest with a cohort of other creatures. And as if being the new kid in school weren’t traumatizing enough, Émile begins to suspect that his mom isn’t the only burgeoning wolf-person in the family. With hostilities toward the “creatures” mounting and time running out before Émile’s secret comes to light, father and son face an increasingly perilous situation. Featuring sensitively wrought performances from Duris and Kircher, this sophomore feature from Thomas Cailley (LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT, PFF23) is an impressive balancing act; it’s a boldly entertaining fantasy whose supernatural elements only add to the deeply felt and human(-ish) drama at its core.
CAST: Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier
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