ANIMALE

The physical transformation as an extension of inner turmoil remains a powerful trope, but not as used in the lazy female empowerment film Animale, which flogs a dead horse (or rather bull).

From werewolves to Brundlefly, horror movies are awash with at times horrific bodily contortions and transformations that speak to the movie’s underlying themes. So there is nothing revelatory about the tale of a young French woman who gradually transforms into a vengeful bull, even if in director Emma Benestan’s way too serious approach it is clearly implied she thinks she is pushing boundaries.

Truth be told, Animale’s opening act shows promise, as we follow how 22-year-old Nejma pursues her dream of being a bull-runner in a male dominated world in the south of France. Helped by Ruben Impens’ stark, gritty cinematography you are easily sucked into this intriguing arena.

It doesn’t take long however for the picture to veer towards tedium. The characters are all painted with broad strokes and many of them are interchangeable, adding surprisingly little drama to the proceedings. Lead actress Oulaya Amamra has a good screen presence but she too is held back by a script that lacks nuance and muddles its themes and messages.

The central conceit in particular – Nejma’s realisation that at night she is transforming into a bull – is handled ham-fistedly, without a clear emotional punch. Proof that Benestan fails in melding theme and narrative successfully or poignantly comes in the form of a scene that laughably directly explains the rather predictable underlying trauma that triggered Nejma’s transformation.

Coming after other recent French forays into this specific subgenre, like Raw (which I liked) and Titane (which I didn’t) Animale feels especially trite and underwhelming: a movie that adds nothing – visually nor emotionally – to the exploration of female empowerment or toxic masculinity.

release: 2024

director: Emma Benestan

starring: Oulaya Amamra, Damien Rebattel, Vivien Rodriguez, Claude Chaballier