The Animal Kingdom

In Thomas Cailley’s acclaimed dystopian drama, François and sixteen-year-old son Émile are doing their best to hold it together after their wife/mom has succumbed to a virus sweeping across Europe, a virus in which the victims take on the physical characteristics of animals. When Émile (Paul Kircher) realizes he too is infected, his forays into the nearby woods grow longer, and he establishes a bond with an initially suspicious bird-man, even as he tries to hide his transformation from his father and his classmates.

Nominated for 12 César (French Oscar) awards — one more than Anatomy of a Fall — The Animal Kingdom is a rites-of-passage teen movie more than it’s an X-Men sci-fi fantasy. Which is not to say that the film’s make up and digital fx are anything less than eye-catching; just that they’re even more impressive for the humanity that remains vested in the relationships and drama. It’s a strange but compelling concoction, a walk on the wild side…

The director is willing to risk the ridiculous en route to the emotional truths he seeks. Stumble even for a moment, and the whole movie could feel silly, which is what makes the fact that it works all the more remarkable.

Peter Debruge, Variety.

Original and striking.

Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter