The Animal Kingdom
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLe Règne animal
Directed byThomas Cailley
Written by
  • Thomas Cailley
  • Pauline Munier
Produced byPierre Guyard
Starring
CinematographyDavid Cailley
Edited byLilian Corbeille
Music byAndrea Laszlo De Simone[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal
Release dates
  • 17 May 2023 (2023-05-17) (Cannes)
  • 4 October 2023 (2023-10-04) (France)
Running time
130 minutes[2]
Countries
  • France
  • Belgium
LanguageFrench
Budget13–15 million
Box office$8.2 million[3]

The Animal Kingdom (French: Le Règne animal) is a 2023 French-Belgian science fiction adventure film directed by Thomas Cailley and written by Cailley and Pauline Munier.

It had its world premiere as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023. It was released in France on 4 October 2023.

Synopsis

In a world hit by a wave of mutations that are gradually transforming some humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, he embarks with Émile, their 16-year-old son, on a quest that will change their lives forever.[2]

Cast

Production

Le Règne animal is the second feature film by French director Thomas Cailley, after releasing his award-winning debut feature Love at First Fight in 2014. He co-wrote the screenplay with Pauline Munier based on an original idea by Pauline Munier. It is set in the Gironde department, where the filmmaker grew up and where his first film was staged (Landes de Gascogne). The screenplay was written before the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] As with Love at First Fight, Pierre Guyard of Nord-Ouest Films served as the film's producer, while his brother David served as director of photography and Lilian Corbeille handled editing. The principal roles were performed by Romain Duris, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Paul Kircher. Duris indicated that he would play one of the surviving beings. He praised the script, but said the film would feature a lot of special effects, which would not make it easy for an actor.[5]

Shooting began in May 2022[5] and took place entirely in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, largely divided between Landes, Dordogne and Gironde.[4] The filming began in the commune of Fleix[6] and moved across the banks of the river Lot in Lot-et-Garonne, particularly in the communes of Le Temple-sur-Lot and Castelmoron-sur-Lot.[4] Production costs have been estimated between 13 and 15 million euros.[4][7][8] In total, filming was to last 57 days, until mid-August.[4] The project received financial support from the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), a government agency responsible for promoting cinema.[4][9]

Release

The film was selected to be screened as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival,[10] where it had its world premiere on 17 May 2023.[11] The film was theatrically released in France by StudioCanal on 4 October 2023.[12] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Open Cinema' section and was screened on 8 October 2023.[13]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 5 critic reviews indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15] The Animal Kingdom received an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 45 reviews.[16]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for The Animal Kingdom
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 26 May 2023 Un Certain Regard Thomas Cailley Nominated [17][18]
Louis Delluc Prize 6 December 2023 Best Film The Animal Kingdom Won [19]
Lumières Award 22 January 2024 Best Film Pending [20]
Best Director Thomas Cailley Pending
Best Screenplay Pending
Best Cinematography David Cailley Pending
Best Music Andrea Laszlo De Simone Pending
Miskolc International Film Festival 9 September 2023 Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film The Animal Kingdom Nominated [21]

References

  1. Felperin, Leslie (17 May 2023). "'The Animal Kingdom' Review: Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos in a Sensitive French Sci-Fi Adventure". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "LE RÈGNE ANIMAL". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  3. "The Animal Kingdom (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vié, Valentin (18 June 2022). "La plage de Castelmoron lieu de tournage d'un film". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). No. 229470. p. 37.
  5. 1 2 "Romain Duris : Réal au bord de la crise de nerfs". Var-Matin (in French). 18 May 2022. p. 27.
  6. "Monsieur écho". La Dordogne Libre (in French). 15 June 2022.
  7. "Un casting pour tourner avec Romain Duris et Adèle Exarchopoulos". Le Petit Bleu d'Agen (in French). No. 23554. 21 May 2022. p. 7.
  8. Perrin, Annabelle (18 May 2022). "Après Duris et Exarchopoulos, d'autres grands noms pressentis". Sud Ouest (in French). p. 10.
  9. Lemercier, Fabien (21 February 2022). "The CNC grants an advance on receipts to Thomas Cailley's Le Règne animal". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  10. Lemercier, Fabien (13 April 2023). "Young talents abound in Cannes' Un Certain Regard". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  11. mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  12. Vargoz, Cécile (25 October 2022). "Studiocanal date le nouveau film de Thomas Cailley". Boxoffice Pro (in French). Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  13. "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  14. "The Animal Kingdom". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. "The Animal Kingdom". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  16. "Critiques Presse pour le film Le Règne animal". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  17. "Cannes 2023 line-up guide: Un Certain Regard titles". Screen International. 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  18. Roxborough, Scott (26 May 2023). "Cannes: 'How to Have Sex' Wins Best Film in 2023 Un Certain Regard". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  19. "Le Règne animal remporte le prix Louis-Delluc 2023". Libération (in French). 6 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  20. Lemercier, Fabien (14 December 2023). "Anatomie d'une chute domine les nominations pour les Lumières". Cineuropa (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  21. "FESTIVALS: CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival 2023 Announces Lineup". Film New Europe Association. 17 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
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