“The Animal Kingdom” Cannes Review: Thomas Cailley’s Coming-of-Age Tale Offers Epic Narrative

1 min read
“The Animal Kingdom” Cannes Review: Thomas Cailley’s Coming-of-Age Tale Offers Epic Narrative

Get ready for a wild ride with Thomas Cailley’s latest film, The Animal Kingdom. This cinematic masterpiece takes the surreal premise of The Lobster and turns it into a surprisingly credible family drama. With themes of love and tolerance, this film is a reflection of our current world, touching on hot-button topics like the refugee crisis, climate change, and trans rights.

The story follows François and his teenage son Émile as they navigate a world where people are turning into animals. François’s wife Nina has already been taken into state care after transforming into a wild bear, and when a van transporting various creatures crashes in the local woods, Nina goes missing. François sets out to find her, while Émile tries to hide his own transformation from the world.

As the creatures continue to grow in numbers, the backlash against them escalates, and François must navigate a culture war surrounding the bestioles. Meanwhile, hard-nosed policewoman Julia turns a blind eye to François’ curfew-breaking until it becomes impossible to ignore.

With stunning visuals and a rich barrage of ideas, The Animal Kingdom is a spellbinding magic-realist fable that can be enjoyed at face value or delved into for deeper meaning. Don’t miss this middle-aged rites of passage story about a man coming to terms with loss and letting go. Starring Romain Duris, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Kircher, and Tom Mercier, this film is a must-see.

Ava Lockwood

Ava, a film history enthusiast from Chicago, holds a degree in Film and Media Studies from Northwestern University. Her fascination with the Golden Age of Hollywood and her extensive research into the lives of iconic filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick inform her engaging articles on film history and analysis.

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