Something Cult, Foreign-Language or Indie #293: Only the Animals (2019).

 

A young French woman, Evelynne Ducat (Valeria Bruni Tadeschi) has recently disappeared. A search for her can't happen yet because there are no leads, but then after a snowstorm, her car is found near the Causse Mejean plateau where a small rural community is struggling to survive. Five of its residents, all from vastly different backgrounds, immediately know they are people of interest once the search starts. But they and the authorities all don't yet know this murderous and cold saga actually began on another continent entirely. As their stories overlap, their secrets emerge as Evelynne's fate and the person responsible for that is revealed.

Only the Animals is a crime drama based on Colin Niel's French-language novel, from director Dominik Moll and writer/composer Benedikt Schiefer. It's definitely a slow-burner and so it doesn't explode with suspense or violence, but it's quite unique in how it takes the avenue of interlocking stories rather than the hardboiled potboiler one. That also gives it, for me, a pleasantly intriguing and even sensuous quality, which Moll visualises lucidly and cohesively as he jumps between stories. Schiefer's dialogue feels consistently realistic and natural, and his score is appropriately delicate. Moll also draws engaging and convincing performances from all his actors, and employs Patrick Ghiringelli's cinematography for a haunting effect.

One or two scenes may be just slightly too long, but Only the Animals nonetheless is a refreshing departure for European thrillers. 8/10.