Animale

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Animale

2024

1h 38m

Drama

Fantasy

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

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17 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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, an intrepid twenty-two-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. The sophomore feature of French filmmaker Emma Benestan, ANIMALE is "a brutal disorienting horror fable burning with feminine anger," (AWFJ.org), and a thrilling entry into the body-horror subgenre.

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Catherine Bray

Variety

May 23, 2024

The filmmaking is at its most successful when it moves away from dialogue-driven sequences and into the more visual, visceral aspects of Nejma’s chosen line of work.

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Jonathan Romney

Screen International

May 22, 2024

Animale boasts visual confidence to spare and a compelling, energetic lead performance from Oulaya Amamra... Disappointingly, though, the film never lives up to its bold scene-setting, falling into a pattern of obviousness.

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Karina Adelgaard

Heaven of Horror

Jan 28, 2026

3/5

...I actually think it has far broader appeal than you would expect. At heart, it is a revenge story about a woman navigating a deeply male-dominated environment, surrounded by...

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Jazzmin Crawley

Horror Movie Blog

Oct 11, 2025

Animale is visually stunning with fascinating camera angles and use of color. The performances are compelling and realistic, which makes it easy to become engrossed with the story, especially the conflicts.

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Michael Talbot-Haynes

Film Threat

Aug 11, 2025

10/10

Animale is the new state-of-the-art for high-end horror. It will have genre fans and art house aficionados weeping black tears of joy worldwide.

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Mary Kassel

Screen Rant

Aug 7, 2025

6/10

Though not for the faint of heart, this French revenge horror movie crafts a satisfying & thoughtful take on the genre, anchored by its lead actress.

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Marc M.

@mrgnmrc420 Apr 10, 2026

In an over-saturated genre, which largely gives us films that regurgitate the same old tropes, "Animale" provides a fresh take on werewolves. In this case, the main character, a female bullfighter in Southern France, struggling to fit in with a male dominated culture, is wronged by a fellow bullfighter, and becomes a "werebull" who exacts revenge. An excellent performance, and haunting cinematography are highlights!

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Emma Benestan

Director

Oulaya Amamra

Nejma

Damien Rebattel

Tony

Vivien Rodriguez

Kylian

Claude Chaballier

Leonard

Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam

Jordan

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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, an intrepid twenty-two-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. The sophomore feature of French filmmaker Emma Benestan, ANIMALE is "a brutal disorienting horror fable burning with feminine anger," (AWFJ.org), and a thrilling entry into the body-horror subgenre.

Director: Emma Benestan
Producer: Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur, Jean-Yves Roubin, Cassandre Warnauts
Screenwriter: Emma Benestan
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: June Films, Frakas Productions
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Original Language: French
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 8, 2025
Runtime: 1h 38m

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