I slipped into New York on October 19th like a thief in the night to check out what Brooklyn Horror Fest had to offer. During my one-night-only tour, I checked out Animale (2024), directed by Emma Benestan, and she brought out the beasts! Not to be confused with the animals. We follow Nejma as she trains to win a bullfighting competition. She is mauled after a night of celebrating with alarming consequences.
A Beautiful But Tough Story
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. I did not expect to care so much about bullfighting on a Saturday night. However, there I was, ready to fight for animal rights and punch entitled and power-hungry men. I recommend Animale, but it comes with the trigger warning that typically accompanies women-centered revenge films: sexual assault.
Animale draws viewers in visually as we watch cattle driven by people on horses from an overhead view. Eventually, we close in on the only woman in the group, Nejma. We watch as she trains alongside her male peers, but they never let her forget that she is a woman. There are plenty of slick comments and shade being thrown, which I appreciate. A lesser movie would have had the men acting like they were a part of the He-Man Woman-Haters club. Realistically, the shade tends to be light, passive-aggressive, or delivered jokingly. So, if a woman responds negatively, her behavior can be labeled an overreaction.
I love that we often see Nejma quietly swallow the shade with her victories and successes. Animale continues to mirror real life by detailing the actions of the men. They herded her out to a faraway area after getting her very intoxicated. They drove her out to a field with taunts, which seemed like some right-of-passage, but it was a sinister plot. She wakes up in her bed with an injury that aligns with an animal attack and begins experiencing animalistic changes.
Women And Bulls
There is room to believe that the bulls were tired of everyone’s crimes and decided to enact revenge simply because Nejma was there. They would have plenty of reasons due to the animal cruelty involved. However, it is slowly revealed that Nejma’s peers sexually assaulted her. So, I believe the bulls saw Nejma in distress and used the paranormal force of nature to give her some of their strength. Sexual assault tends to involve power struggles, so it’s symbolic that she was given strength by the animals, who are often seen as strong, but powerless.
The parallel between Nejma and the bulls is a centerpiece of the story. Nejma can empathize with the animals as they are controlled and harmed without consent. Nejma and the bulls see each other in a way that is invisible to the men in the movie, a connection through vulnerability and pain. That aspect was powerful and stuck with me (I am still chewing on it).
I am also digesting a pattern, more of a rut, that plagues women-centered revenge films. When a woman has a score to settle (if it’s not related to witch-burning), it often involves a man who sexually assaulted her, tried to kill her (usually with a romantic past), or took advantage of her in some way. Revenge movies exist outside of this pattern, but not enough! I want to see femme characters (and their creators) diversify their bonds and broaden the scope of their motivation for revenge.
