Set at a time when nature is going haywire and a disease is mutating humans into animals, a father and son move to the south of France to be with the wife/mother who has been changing. She has been taken to a facility where it is hoped that she can be cured. However things become complicated when a bus transporting some of the "critters" ends up in a river releasing several of them. and the son begins to show signs of changing himself.
Well made film, is a blood related film to the thoughtful zombie films like MISS ZOMBIE and MAGGIE which seek to plum humanity without blood and gore. This is a film that ponders what it means to be human, as well as our fears about change and things that don't fit our definitions of life.
This film will grab you from the start as city traffic jam is interrupted by the escape of a partly changed man. People are tossed about and cars are damaged. We are also hooked for the long haul as we wait to see what happens.
What happens is for the most part is an intriguing riff on familiar themes. We've been here before, but not quite like this. The way the themes are presented opens up our minds to new possible takes,The world makes a weird sort of sense, especially in light of our living in a post covid world. Unexpectedly for much of the first half, this film is actually scarier than most recent horror films, despite the fact this isn't a horror film even it has "monsters".
Where the film falters is in the second half. The natural flow of the plot is rushed in some ways and the story ends up feeling forced. The filmmakers need certain things to happen to make a point so those things happen even if they don't wholly make sense. The result are some moments that don't quite ring true.
Its not fatal but whether to accept the turns will determine if you like or love the film.
I loved much of this, especially the make up.
Definitely worth a look the film opens this year's Rendezvous With French Cinema and opens in theaters March 15
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