Animale
Director: Emma Benestan
Writer: Emma Benestan, Julie Debiton
Cast: Oulaya Amamra, Damien Rebattel, Vivien Rodriguez, Claude Chaballier, Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam, Pierre Roux, Marinette Rafai
Seen on: 19.9.2025

Content Note: rape, animal cruelty

Plot:
Nejma (Oulaya Amamra) is the lone woman at the bull ranch, working hard to fulfill her dreams of becoming the first female bullfighter in the arena there. The other workers and bullfighters train and work with her, and while there is some teasing, Nejma just teases them right back. After her first fight, and the alcohol-fueled party afterwards, Nejma passes out in a bullpen. The next day she starts to notice weird changes to her body.

Animale continues the cinematic tradition of body horror movies that challenge the patriarchy, shot by young French women. It is often very atmospheric and has a really fascinating setting, but the focus of the story didn’t work that well for me, making the film a little weaker than it could have been.

Animale is an engaging film, and as we explore Nejma’s world and get to know it, I was absolutely fasincated. The kind of bullfighting we get to see here is the less famous and less cruel kind where the fighters snatch baubles from the bulls horns. But there are still moments where the bulls here aren’t treated particularly kindly (like when they are branded), so be braced for that.

The film is told through Nejma’s eyes, so what exactly went on in the night of the party is treated almost as a twist – simply because Nejma doesn’t know. But the audience can guess easily, and this discrepancy, while organic to the point of view, doesn’t do the narrative or the tension build-up any favor.

I also would have liked it if the film had focused on a bit of a different aspect. For one, it remained a mystery to me why Nejma wants so desperately to become a bullfighter in the first place. I also think that there is a movie buried within this one that takes a clearer look at the parallels between how animals are treated and how women are treated within patriarchy (and how it is different, too). It makes a very clear parallel in one scene but if it had explored this angle more, I think the film would have covered newer ground.

Finally, the ending is a little unsatisfying, leaving too much open for me. Nevertheless, the film is very much worth seeing for the interesting setting, the excellent performance by Amamra and the very creepy setting in scene of the bulls who carry much more of the film than you’d expect at first.

Summarzing: a good, albeit not flawless debut.