We first meet the family in question, Fran\u00e7ois (Romain Duris \u201cThe Beat That My Heart Skipped<\/strong>\u201d, 2005) and his 16-year-old son \u00c9mile (Paul Kircher \u201cWinter Boy<\/strong>\u201d, 2022) being trapped in a traffic jam in Paris attempting to visit the wife\/mother Lana, who has been in a long-term care at the hospital. Quickly we learn that something is not right in the world they live in \u2013 we are in a distant future. From the door of a nearby ambulance, a strange half man\/half bird creature (\u201cSynonyms\u201d Tom Mercier) breaks out and causes drama, but doesn\u2019t really surprise anyone, at least not Fran\u00e7ois and \u00c9mile. It turns out that Lana was one of the first victims of an odd, new pandemic and is slowly turning into a wild bear. Fran\u00e7ois still believes that her mutation can be reversed, but the more she changes into the creature, the less human she becomes.<\/p>\n This mysterious malady is slow and unpredictable for the unlucky; the more the hair grows on the back, or the feathers appear on the arm, the more they lose the sense of being and memories of who they once were. Lizards, bird, wolf, spider \u2013 they\u2019d eat and act what the new form demands of them, fleeing into the forest where they can hide from the humans. At least in Yorgos Lanthimos \u201cThe Lobster<\/strong>\u201d (2015), Colin Farrell\u2019s character could choose which animal he would turn into, if he failed to find a partner in the hotel\/facility. It\u2019s random in \u201cThe Animal Kingdom<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a9STUDIOCANAL INTERNATIONAL<\/p>\n Fran\u00e7ois decides to relocate to a small French southern town where his wife is being reassigned to a government containment facility. He takes a temporary job as a cook, and \u00c9mile follows along, although frustrated, and begins in a new school. Their dog, similar to the one in \u201cAnatomy of a Fall<\/strong>\u201d, becomes a healing force. Soon, Lana and many hybrids disappear in the forest after a transport vehicle accident and Fran\u00e7ois hopes to find his wife on his own. This search is the thread of the film, and their relationship is one of many metaphors \u2013 it seems to represent divorce, illness, or numb love. Fran\u00e7ois claims: \u201cI\u2019m scared of losing her and I\u2019m scared of finding her\u201d.<\/p>\n He does find comfort in a local cop, Julia, who tries to help him. She is played by the great Ad\u00e8le Exarchopoulos (\u201cBlue is the Warmest Colou<\/strong>r\u201d, 2013) whose talent is rather wasted in the small role. Romain Duris as Fran\u00e7ois, though, is perfectly cast as the concerned father, while Paul Kircher as \u00c9mile, who made an impression in Christophe Honor\u00e9\u2019s \u201cWinter Boy<\/strong>\u201d, beautifully manages to conceive the dubious teenage feelings – very different feelings as his claws begin to grow underneath his nails and his fangs becomes embarrassingly long. He knows his fate will be similar to his mother’s – \u00c9mile is slowly turning into a wolf. In his new school he befriends Nina (Billie Blain), a student with ADHD, while juggling to hide his body changes and feelings of attraction. He soon escapes to the forest where he has already come close to the birdman Fix from the traffic jam.<\/p>\n Although the film mixes sci-fi with the supernatural and adventure, the core is a coming-of-age and a father-and-son tale \u2013 it doesn\u2019t really dive into frightening territories and the creatures are created with minimal special effects. The filmmaker Thomas Cailley, who previously directed \u201cLove at First Fight<\/strong>\u201d (2014) and the dystopian limited series \u201cAd Vitam<\/strong>\u201d, (2018) co-wrote the script with Pauline Munier and was inspired by Clint Eastwood\u2019s \u201cA Perfect World<\/strong>\u201d (1993), Yasujir\u014d Ozu\u2019s \u201cThe Only Son<\/strong>\u201d (1936), and Bong Joon Ho\u2019s \u201cThe Host<\/strong>\u201d (2006). Obviously interested in shapeshifting mythology, he manages to balance all the metaphors and genres. That he is able to pull it off relatively well is an achievement – the film is a crowd-pleaser. The second half of the film uses lustrous and stunning cinematography, by the director\u2019s brother David Cailley, to create a suggestive atmosphere.<\/p>\n The metaphors about exclusion, xenophobia, social panic, and the human relationship with nature (the humans just want to get rid of the hybrids), are, although well intended, overly clear in the final part. We have already understood the messages throughout the film. In Norway, according to Fran\u00e7ois, they are better at living together. The wolf and the shepherd cohabit. It\u2019s not about hunting or being hunted. Not about dividing. It\u2019s about coexisting. Respect nature!<\/p>\n \u00a9STUDIOCANAL INTERNATIONAL<\/p>\n Grade: B<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/The-Animal-Kingdom1-2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/THE-ANIMAL-KINGDOM1.png\")
<\/p>\n