Title: Animale
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Emma Benestan
Starring: Oulaya Amamra, Damian Rebattal, Vivien Rodriguez
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

What It Is: Nejma (Amamra) is the only woman in her circle who fights bulls. Unlike traditional Spanish bullfighting, this style doesn’t feature a single matador. Instead, multiple runners compete to remove a bell from the bull, earning a point if they succeed.

After a night of drinking, Nejma begins to feel ill frequently. At the same time, several of her colleagues die from severe injuries. Rumors spread about a bull that’s gone rogue, causing deaths left and right. Could these two events be connected?

What We Think: “Strange” would be the best way to describe this. It’s slow, almost glacial in how the story unfolds, and by the end of a week-long festival, some of its initial luster had faded. This feels like the Cannes version of a body-horror film. It’s no The Substance, but really, what is?

Oulaya Amamra gives it her all as a woman grappling with the unknown. Her transformation from a wide-eyed young woman to… something entirely different is the heart of the film. She’s fantastic, but unfortunately, the pacing dragged the experience down for me.

As mentioned, it was the tail end of the festival, and I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness during the screening—a rare occurrence, as I never fall asleep in a theater. Take that for what you will.

Our Grade: C-, This is definitely the Cannes version of a body-horror film. I don’t think I’m personally the target audience for it. Be aware going in that this is a very slow-burning rape-and-revenge horror story—inviting a clear comparison to Coralie Fargeat’s work.

Where this film stands apart is its bullfighting aspect, something I wasn’t familiar with beforehand. It offers a unique narrative entry point and provides a dynamic setting for the action to unfold.

Unfortunately, for me, that’s where the film’s intrigue begins and ends. It earns a mild recommendation, but your mileage may vary.

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