The Animal Kingdom review 2024: Embrace Your Inner Animal

The Animal Kingdom played at last year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section and was praised by critics and festival-goers alike.

In The Animal Kingdom, a strange disease has been infecting the human population in France. Those who get infected slowly start to turn into a random animal and it ain’t a pretty sight. If you remember the werewolf transformation in An American Werewolf In London, then that is what this reminded me of – it looked super painful with thick claws pushing their way up through your fingernails or losing your teeth and seeing bloodied fangs in their place.

The film follows a father and son called Francois and Emile. They have been visiting Emile’s Mum who has been infected with this strange disease. We never get a close look at the mother but we know from the deep claw marks on the wall that she is turning into some sort of cat…and a violent one too it would seem.

While getting transported to another facility, the bus carrying 40 creatures crashes and the part-human part-animal creature escapes into the thick, dense wooded area…including the cat mother.

There is a lot going on here, even some elements of comedy but the main thing I took away from this is that we never know how to accept change. When we see change and it ain’t pretty, violent force is used to try and normalise things again. These creatures ain’t bad, they’re scared but when backed into a corner, they will fight and they are much stronger than the government trying to hunt them. Not only have they had to watch their bodies change into creatures, but they are now also outcasts and hunted by the very people they thought were there to protect them.

The special FX in The Animal Kingdom was superb. We get some see some interesting and beautiful transformations/mutations with people turning into birds, frogs, armadillos, cats, dogs, pigs…and even octopuses. There is a certain scene towards the end when we get to see just how many have mutated and just what they look like when they reach their full true animalistic form.

Not a very dark or violent film but one that raises some questions and a film that will leave you thinking after viewing. At the core, The Animal Kingdom is a film about family strength, love, grief and acceptance with two wonderful father and son performances from Romain Duris and Paul Kircher.

If you’re looking for mutant mayhem then you won’t find much in The Animal Kingdom. This is a different kind of film, a hybrid of genres. it has elements of horror, sci-fi fantasy, drama and action. A bit of everything, all wonderfully put together with a beautiful soundtrack that reminded me of the music from The Deer Hunter.

Directed by Thomas Cailley
Written by Thomas Cailley and Pauline Munier
Starring Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 7/10

“THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, a visionary new thriller that drops viewers into an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures, François (Roman Duris) does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile (Paul Kircher), their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer (Adèle Exarchopoulos). From acclaimed director Thomas Cailley (LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT), the film world premiered as the opening night selection of Cannes Un Certain Regard and will be released in theaters and on demand March 15, 2024. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM was nominated for 12 Cesar Awards and will next screen as the opening night selection of Rendezvous with French Cinema in New York on February 29th.”
Magnolia Pictures/Studio Canal