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This French science fiction tale immerses us in a world where a mysterious disease turns humans into strange and terrifying half-animal creatures.
By Manohla Dargis
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By the time “The Animal Kingdom” premieres, the enigmatic disease that has plagued the world has been circulating for years. It’s unclear exactly where and how it started, let alone why or to what extent it spread. Is it a virus or a bacterium, or something in the air, water, our genes?If we’ve learned anything from our recent pandemic, it’s that the most pressing questions don’t find quick answers. The big unknown here is why other people began to mutate into seductive, frightening, half-human, half-animal creatures.
Furry, hoofed animals, feathered tentacles and chaotic roam, glide and howl in “The Animal Kingdom,” a fun French fantasy with a touch of comedy and a few touches of horror. All of this is quite confusing for 16-year-old Émile (a poignant, sensitive and open Paul Kircher), who struggles to deal with his mother, Lana (Florence Deretz). Adolescence is difficult in itself without a mother who now becomes post-verbal and whose face is covered in skin. His breathing is also strangely worked, though he also feels like he’s warming up a grunt. Living with other species has its joys; its dangers as well.
A quirky mystery that mockingly flirts with a broader metaphorical resonance, the film follows Émile as he and his father, François (a nervous and sympathetic Romain Duris), navigate their wild new normal. Lana has been engaged with a public establishment since she assaulted Émile. — the deep scratches on the walls of his room look like scars on his face — and he’s getting treatment. She is about to be moved to an establishment in the south, where Émile and François will move. ” We’ve made real progress in deciphering this disease,” a doctor assures them. Controlling it is a question.
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