Animale - FrightFest Halloween UK Premiere Review
Director: Emma Benestan
Starring: Oulaya Amamra, Claude Chaballier, Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam, Vivien Rodriguez
Written by: Emma Benestan, Julie Debiton
Produced by: Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur,
Cinematography by: Ruben Impens
Original Score by: Yan Wagner
Synopsis:
When local bullfighter Nejma is mauled after a celebration, she starts to notice disturbing changes. News of a rogue bull on the loose terrifies the community, killing young men.
Thoughts:
French-Algerian filmmaker Emma Benestan's sophomore feature film is a dark coming of age thriller that plays around in the feminist body horror realm with an electrifying performance from lead star Oulaya Amamra.
'Animale' revolves around the little known sport of bull racing, a variation of bull fighting that requires it's participants to remove ceremonial tassles from the bull's horns. It's quite physical and often times can be a sort of dance off between the participant and the bull.
Nejma works at a farm that raises bulls for the sport. She has a great work ethic and is deeply determined to cross over from being a farmhand to being a competitor. She is about to become the first female to ever take part in competitive bull racing in this region of France. It is very much a male dominated sport and from the get go we get the sense that she doesn't belong here. After her debut Nejma has the desire to go out partying with the rest of the boys. Feeling some peer pressure she is dared to enter a field of older (and notorious) bulls and her night doesn't end well when she blacks out after being attacked by one of them. Her wounds are small and aren't particularly serious but something else has happened to her. She has the ability to commune with the bulls and she'll need it because a rogue bull has escaped and is terrorising the land and killing any man that stands in its way.
Benestan's film isn't very subtle in its symbolism. This is a film about a strong female who doesn't feel wanted trying to live amongst strong men who don't want change. The toxicity is systemic and even the men involved don't fully realise they are partaking in it. This is a film about a woman who is trying to fit in and to be a apart of something that she loves and while the film does its best to build up her character, sadly there's just not enough there to really get behind her.
The horror rears it's bloody head when the bull begins to kill some of the men involved, Nejma's fellow competitors, and the local community band together to attempt to catch the killer before it strikes again. Whilst this is all happening Nejma begins to feel a change in herself both emotionally and physically. Her connection with the bulls grows stronger. She has more success. She feels more powerful. She is in the midst of a transformation.
What is mostly striking about 'Animale' is the beautiful images that we are often treated to of the Carmague region. Sunburst scenery and dusty fields. Gorgeous cinematography by the hands of Ruben Impens who captures the horde of bulls hauntingly, especially at night, imposing but with an almost celestial presence. The film doesn't quite finish as hard as I was expecting but the journey, whilst slow and heavy on theme, is still an intriguing watch, proving that Emma Benestan will be one to keep an eye on.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Gavin Logan
'Animale' received its UK Premiere at FrightFest Halloween on November 2nd
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