By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The French body-horror film is coming later this week.
Film Movement releases ANIMALE on VOD and digital platforms on Friday, August 8. The movie, which was been well-reviewed at festivals, was directed by Emma Benestan from a script she wrote with Julie Debiton, and stars Oulaya Amamra, Damien Rebattel, Vivien Rodriguez, Claude Chaballier and Elies Morgan. The synopsis: “In the Camargue region of the South of France, there remains an infamous, long-standing tradition of bullfighting. Local youths participate in the elegant yet dangerous challenge, practicing a modernized version of the sport that seeks not to kill the animals but rather to showcase agility and dominance. Among them is Nejma [Amamra], an intrepid 22-year-old with dreams of one day winning the annual competition. The only woman working on the cattle ranch, she trains tirelessly to prove herself equal among the men, both in and outside of the arena. The ranchers share a deep respect for the bulls, though when a loose bull threatens the community of riders and young men begin turning up dead, a hunt to find and kill the creature begins. Nejma fears for the bull, beginning a dark, mysterious transformation of her own.”
