Animal

Animal

A terrifying arthouse horror film fresh from the Cannes Film Festival

Nejma is a young woman from the south of France. She dreams of professional bullfighting, taming the bulls and being close to them as she has a profound respect for them. However, it is not the animals in the sandy arena who are her opponents – it is the men. Najma learns to handle the bulls in the company of a group of young blokes. One night, after a boozy party, she wakes up battered and mauled by a horned animal, and on top of that, her mates start dying in very gruesome ways. It seems that a feral and bloodthirsty beast broke free in the area.

“Animal” is Emma Benestan’s latest film after the award-winning “Fragile”. It is profoundly feminist cinema, yet it is not propagandist. Nejma – like millions of women – must constantly prove her worth where men are required to merely be there. In telling her story, Benestan never loses sight of her real purpose – to evoke anxiety first and then, real horror. “Animal” is a purebred body horror film with a touch of crime fiction, a superbly written lead character, stunningly beautiful cinematography and soundtrack. The plot unfolds here slowly but relentlessly. Benestan’s work has enjoyed a triumphant march through Cannes and Stiges earlier this year, and it will now open the Splat!FilmFest. Expect a tremor.