Few genres are as effective at portraying female rage and revenge as horror, but the new French horror-fantasy movie Animale doesn’t take the obvious path when it comes to exorcising its protagonist’s demons. It stars Oulaya Amamra as Nejma, a young woman living in the South of France who wants to join the ranks of the male-dominated field of bull fighting, for all its brutality and danger.
However, it’s this violence and the desire to be accepted by the men who consistently scorn her that drive Nejma, at least when Animale begins. Directed and co-written by Emma Benestan, Animale doesn’t tread new territory when it comes to the themes and tropes of the niche of animal transformation within horror. However, Benestan succeeds in keeping its story subtle, dropping the grizzly body horror elements like hints of what’s to come for Nejma and the audience.
There are moments when Animale could go further with its gore and guts, but it’s vital that the film prioritizes Nejma and her perspective on the story. Amamra is a stirring anchor for the narrative, allowing Animale to flex and bend under the weight of its heavy themes and style without breaking. We might not learn anything new from Animale, but its lessons are ones that never lose their potency and thrive thanks to Benestan and Amamra.
The Raw Instinct Of Female Rage Takes Center Stage In Animale
Nejma Struggles To Let Out Her Anger, So Nature Finds A Way In Animale
Living and working on a bull farm in the rural South of France, it’s almost entirely men who populate Nejma’s world in Animale, with her mother making a few, largely unwelcome, visits. Though Nejma chafes against the way the men treat her, especially as she prepares to enter the bullfighting ring, she doesn’t let it show. She’s developed a unique language and a near-flawless system of defenses to never let the men exert power over her. It’s a system many viewers will recognize, and one that the male characters lash out against.
The ease with which the men perpetuate violence against the bulls and Nejma herself only grows more unbearable, and her transformation can no longer be ignored. To them, she isn’t human, and this creates a mental justification for her to be treated as something to be possessed and controlled. However, Animale argues that to turn into this animal they see her as and to create a kinship with the other beings that are brutalized can become a form of power.
Animale doesn’t try to trick you or hide its third-act twist. Anyone familiar with rape-revenge narratives doesn’t have to guess what Nejma isn’t letting herself remember. However, Animale doesn’t need to rely on shock to give its story meaning. It’s inherently meaningful, and the fantastical visuals and magical realism that the film uses to communicate the depth of Nejma’s identification with the bulls and their lack of agency hit home. However, this is when Animale flips the script and gives Nejma the tools to take control of this transformation and find her way back to herself through it.
It almost wouldn’t matter if Animale never confirmed whether Nejma was genuinely turning into a bull or not, because the fantasy aspect of the narrative is ancillary to the repeтιтion and ritual of the violence around her. In the end, it would take the entire army of ranchers to stop Nejma, and even they are cowed by the physical manifestation of her pain. Ending on an uncertain but cathartic note, Animale cements itself as more of a series of feelings rather than a тιԍнтly-wound mystery.
All of these elements make for an emotionally stirring portrait, even if Animale doesn’t always have the clearest picture of what it wants its plot to be. The film works best as a delivery system for its ideas rather than a relentlessly compelling narrative. The atmospheric visual style and impact of the more plot-heavy moments the movie highlights help to combat this, in addition to Amamra’s charisma as the lead.
Though Unfocused, Animale Has A Clear Sense Of What It Wants To Say
The Horror-Revenge Thriller Might Not Be Plot-Heavy, But It Has A Razor-Sharp Message
Though the thematic throughline of Animale is undeniable, the sparse nature of the dialogue and slightly thin plot sometimes work against the effectiveness of the story. As much as the film doesn’t need to surprise the audience too much to craft a compelling emotional arc, there’s little reason to care about or be confused by the deaths that start popping up around Nejma. Questions of how and why the events unfold in this way have already been answered, even if not explicitly. Additionally, once the transformations begin, the viewer loses interest in Nejma’s future as a fighter in the ring.
Pieces of exposition and backstory are dropped sparingly throughout Animale. While this is a strength, the movie could’ve done with a little more exploration of Nejma’s past and relationship with her mother. The audience is left with plenty of questions by the end of the film. It’s not necessary for the story to have all the answers; with a little more focus, Animale could have taken Nejma’s character further and made the audience care deeply about her, regardless of her trauma or pain.
Animale will be available to watch on VOD and digital on August 8th, 2025.
