Man is a wolf to man, Thomas Hobbes thought, and man is a wolf to the wolf, Thomas Cailley confirms. Nearly ten years after Les Combattants , which electrified the Quinzaine des Cinéastes with its youthful ardor, the director returns to Cannes 2023 with Le Règne Animal, his second feature film, which opens the Un Certain Regard selection with panache.
Furry, feathered, scaly, it's been two years since the first mutations fromhuman to animal appeared. Without seeking to scientifically explain the whys and wherefores, the film takes the temperature of a society forced to adapt to a new reality and cohabit with these "beasts" - it's a well-known fact that it's never good to be (too) different.
François (Romain Duris and his eternal babacool look) and his son Emile (Paul Kircher, seen last year at Honoré) set out to find the mother of the family, in the midst of a metamorphosis, with the help of Julia (Adèle Exarchopoulos, who definitively confirms the great comic sense of her offbeat performance). A convoy accident scatters the 'creatures' in the wild, and they are sent to a specialized center in the Landes region - which has never looked so much like a Louisiana bayou, both mystical and enveloping, especially when the military arrive as terrifying as the government men in E.T.'s house.
A true genre film of the kind French cinema produces far too few of - decent ones, at any rate - Le Règle Animal excels not only for its humor and eccentricity, but also for the hair-raising, teeth-gnashing scenes of the physical transformation of these 'bestioles'. It's also a delicate teenage apprenticeship film, like a beast licking its past wounds (the slow disappearance of a mother) and looking to the future. At the age of first love and the irrepressible desire for freedom, Thomas Cailley doubles the discourse to the rhythm of the bodily modifications of these half-humans, half-beasts who retain their human size while gradually acquiring animal attributes. You have to wait for days that seem like years to find out whether you're being eaten by a crocodile or a gorilla, a snake or an owl.
A brilliant, finely chiseled second film, a bold formal proposition that could well benefit from a sequel. The last scene, in the manner of a Marvelian post-generic scene, seems to leave the door open to other 'monsters' in the not-too-distant future. So if, by any chance, your teenager's bedroom starts to smell of wild beasts, ask yourself the right questions.
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Les Films Incontournables UGC is aptly named, as it features the best films of the past year. The new edition of this must-see event takes place from January 10 to 23, 2024, in some 15 cinemas in the Paris region. Good news: tickets are only 5 euros. It's also an opportunity to meet and talk with some of the directors. Here's the program! [Read more]
Drama is a popular genre with movie lovers, and there are plenty of films representing it in cinemas. If you're not sure what to choose for your movie night, we have several titles to recommend. Follow the guide! [Read more]
Not sure which film to see today? Well, we've got plenty of films to show near you. [Read more]
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Cinema: dramas and thrillers currently showing in cinemas and coming soon
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