Crowned with several Césars, this particularly original and ambitious French film will soon leave the streaming platform where we could discover it.
French films sometimes get a bad rap among moviegoers, and often wrongly so. Because French cinema is fortunately not limited to its schoolboy comedies, as can often be very unfairly summarized. Every year, many films that push the boundaries of genres surprise spectators.
Just last year, the trial film Anatomy of a fall has carved out a royal path to Hollywood, the drama I will always see your faces moved critics and audiences, the horror film Vermin explored a genre little exploited in our regions, when Vincent must die or even Yannick each distinguished themselves. But there is a film that has been unanimously praised for its originality and audacity in 2023.
And for good reason: The animal kingdom has seized a genre that is rare in French cinema, that of the fantasy film. Directed by Thomas Cailley, this feature film tells how a father and his son try to survive by all means in a hostile world, where human beings are transformed into animals.
While those infected are interned in special clinics, the protagonist takes all the risks to save his wife, who is herself affected. In the casting, Romain Duris plays Adèle Exarchopoulos, while Paul Kircher plays one of the leading roles. When it is released in theaters on October 4, 2023, The animal kingdom created a surprise.
Télérama hails it as “a staggering coup”, while Libération believes that the film “opens a new path for French cinema”. For Première, it is even a “stunning masterpiece”. According to Allociné, it is even one of the best rated films of the year by the press on its site, with an average of 4.4/5.
Also at the box office, The animal kingdom found its audience, exceeding one million entries during its sixth week of operation. In total, the production will win five Césars in 2024: Best Costumes, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Music and Best Photography.
The animal kingdom enjoyed a good life during its theatrical run and was, for several months, visible in streaming on the MyCanal subscription platform for latecomers. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t delay if you subscribe to the encrypted channel, since it is available on the platform until October 9.