Cailley and Pauline Munier directed The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal) a French-Belgian sci-fi adventure.
It had its world premiere as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section at the 76th Cannes Film Fest on May 17, 2023.
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Theatrical release poster
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Narrative Premise:
The world is dominated by mutations that are gradually transforming humans into animals.
François does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition.
As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, he embarks with Émile, their son of 16, on a quest that will change their lives forever.
Le Règne animal is the second feature by French director Thomas Cailley, after releasing his award-winning debut feature, Love at First Fight, in 2014.
He co-wrote the screenplay with Pauline Munier based on an original idea by Pauline Munier. It is set in the Gironde department, where the filmmaker grew up and where his first film was staged (Landes de Gascogne). The screenplay was written before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As with Love at First Fight, Pierre Guyard of Nord-Ouest Films served as the film’s producer, while his brother David served as director of photography and Lilian Corbeille handled editing.
The principal roles were performed by Romain Duris, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Paul Kircher. Duris indicated that he would play one of the surviving beings. He praised the script, but said the film would feature a lot of special effects, which would not make it easy for an actor.
It was released in France on October 4 2023, but was not very popular with audiences.
However, the picture was critically acclaimed, earning a leading 12 nominations at the 49th Cesars (French Oscars).
Cast
Romain Duris as François
Paul Kircher as Émile
Adèle Exarchopoulos as Julia
Tom Mercier as Fix
Billie Blain as Nina
Nathalie Richard as Professor Valérie Beaudoin
Saadia Bentaieb as Naïma
Credits:
French Le Règne animal
Directed by Thomas Cailley
Written by Thomas Cailley, Pauline Munier
Produced by Pierre Guyard
Cinematography David Cailley
Edited by Lilian Corbeille
Music by Andrea Laszlo De Simone
Distributed by StudioCanal
Release dates: May 17, 2023 (Cannes); October 4, 2023 (France)
Running time: 130 minutes
Budget €13–15 million
Box office $8.5 million
