L'Animale

L'Animale is a 2018 Austrian coming-of-age drama film[5] written and directed by Katharina Mückstein. The film made its world premiere at the 68th Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section on 18 February 2018. It was released in theaters in Austria by Polyfilm Verleih on 16 March 2018. The film received six nominations for the Austrian Film Award, including Best Film and Best Actress.

L'Animale
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKatharina Mückstein
Screenplay by
  • Katharina Mückstein
Produced by
  • Nikolaus Geyrhalter
  • Markus Glaser
  • Michael Kitzberger
  • Flavio Marchetti
  • Katharina Mückstein
  • Michael Schindegger
  • Natalie Schwager
  • Wolfgang Widerhofer
Starring
  • Sophie Stockinger
  • Kathrin Resetarits
  • Dominik Warta
  • Julia Franz Richter
  • Jack Hofer
CinematographyMichael Schindegger
Edited byNatalie Schwager
Music byBernhard Fleischmann
Production
companies
  • Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion[1]
  • La Banda Film[1]
Distributed byPolyfilm Verleih
Release dates
Running time
100 minutes[1][3]
CountryAustria[3]
LanguageGerman[4]

Plot

In rural Austria, 18-year-old Mati is a tomboy who struggles with gender identity and sexuality, only hangs out with boys and is a member of a motocross gang that causes trouble in the region. Mati's best friend, Sebastian, suddenly wants to be more than a friend, at the same time that Mati meets Carla, a self-confident girl who is completeley different from her. Meanwhile, Mati's parents struggle with a long-kept secret.

Cast
  • Sophie Stockinger as Mati
  • Kathrin Resetarits as Mutter
  • Dominik Warta as Vater
  • Julia Franz Richter as Carla
  • Jack Hofer as Sebastian
  • Dominic Marcus Singer as Kogler
  • Simon Morzé as Mark
  • Stefan Pohl as Felix

Production

The film was co-produced by the Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion and La Banda Film.[1] Director Katharina Mückstein also wrote the screenplay for the film.[1] The score was composed by Bernhard Fleischmann.[1]

The title, L'Animale, comes from the 1985 Italian song of the same name performed by Franco Battiato, which is featured in the film.[6]

Director Katharina Mückstein wrote the role of Mati especially for Sophie Stockinger.[7] L'Animale marks their second collaboration following the 2013 film Talea.[7] Mückstein said she wanted to write another screenplay featuring Stockinger. "I always knew that L'Animale would be about a young girl and I also wanted to talk about the conflict we face between rationality and passion. I knew that it would be a feminist film that dealt with gender and gender identity, because I studied gender before going to film school. I worked on the screenplay for two years, and the story underwent a lot of changes before reaching its final form".[8]

Stockinger had to learn to ride a bike for the motorcross scenes.[8]

Mückstein said in a director's statement that L'Animale is her personal answer to the question of how free we, as modern people, really are. She said: "We want to please and be respected. We are sensitive and are often afraid. However, authenticity requires confrontation, emancipation demands effort, progress needs courage. Individual resistance, the courage to liberate one's identity and sexuality… is the greatest revolutionary potential in our times."[9]

Filming

Filming began in Vienna, Austria on 8 July 2016 and wrapped on 23 September 2016.[3][10]

The shooting locations in Lower Austria, where the shoot took place in September 2016, included a farm in Gablitz and a house in Pressbaum, both communities bordering the community of Purkersdorf.[11] In Pressbaum, a modern house that was almost completely built was chosen as Matis' parents' house. Regarding the choice of locations in Lower Austria, Mückstein explained: "Places also radiate something between the lines, you can tell whether it's near a city or very far away. Here it was important to tell the story of the outskirts of the commuter belt, where young people have an idea of the city but don't regularly go there where there are many new influences."[7]

Release

The first trailer for the film was unveiled on 5 February 2018.[9] The film made its world premiere at the 68th Berlin Film Festival on 18 February 2018 in the Panorama section,[4][2] and it also competed for Teddy Award, a separate section from the festival.[12] It was released in theaters in Austria by Polyfilm Verleih on 16 March 2018.[2] The film was screened at AFI Fest 2018 as part of the New Auteurs section.[13]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 86% based on 7 reviews, with a weighted average of 7/10.[14]

Awards and nominations
Year Award / Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
2018 AFI Fest Audience Award - New Auteurs Katharina Mückstein Nominated[13]
Berlin International Film Festival Teddy - Best LGBT Feature Film Nominated[12]
Panorama Audience Award - Fiction Film Nominated[4]
Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival Best Film Nominated[15]
CIMA Award - Best Film Directed by a Woman Won[16]
Diagonale Festival of Austrian Film Best Ensemble Cast Sophie Stockinger, Kathrin Resetarits, Dominik Warta, Julia Franz Richter, Jack Hofer, Dominic Marcus Singer, Simon Morzé, Stefan Pohl Won[17]
Jerusalem Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize - International First Film Katharina Mückstein Nominated[18]
Seoul International Women's Film Festival Best Film Won[15]
Mezipatra Queer Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Feature Film Competition Nominated[19]
Les Arcs European Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Nominated[20]
Best Original Score Bernhard Fleischmann Won[21]
Queer Film Festival Munich Best Film Katharina Mückstein Nominated[10]
Zurich Film Festival Golden Eye - Best Film in Focus Switzerland, Germany, Austria Won[10]
2019 Austrian Film Award Best Feature Film Nominated[10]
Best Actress Sophie Stockinger Nominated[10]
Best Cinematography Michael Schindegger Nominated[10]
Best Film Editing Natalie Schwager Nominated[10]
Best Sound Editing Hjalti Bager-Jonathansson, Karim Weth, Alexander Koller Nominated[10]
Best Score Bernhard Fleischmann Won[10]
Palm Springs International Film Festival New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize Katharina Mückstein Nominated[22]
Romy Gala Best Upcoming Actress Sophie Stockinger Won[10]
2020 Prix Europa TV Fiction Katharina Mückstein Nominated[23][24]

References
  1. "L'Animale". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  2. "L'Animale". Austrian Film Commission. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  3. "L'Animale". Austrian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  4. "L'Animale - Panorama Special 2018". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  5. Kiang, Jessica (1 March 2018). "'L'Animale' Review: Berlin Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. Petković, Vladan (21 February 2018). "Review: L'Animale". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  7. Waculik, Tanja (27 September 2016). "Pressbaum als "Klein-Hollywood": Kinofilm wurde im Wienerwald gedreht" [Pressbaum as "Little Hollywood": The movie was shot in the Vienna Woods]. meinbezirk.at (in German). Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  8. Lemercier, Fabien (20 December 2018). "Katharina Mückstein • Director of L'Animale". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  9. Hopewell, John (5 February 2018). "Berlinale: First Trailer of Panorama's 'L'Animale,' Sold by Films Boutique (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  10. "L'Animale, Feature Film, 2016-2018". Crew United. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  11. Gruber-Dorninger, Martin (21 September 2016). ""Und Action" in Pressbaum" ["And Action" in Pressbaum]. Noen.at (in German). Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  12. "L'Animale | Teddy Award - The official queer award at the Berlin International Film Festival". teddyaward.tv. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  13. "AFI Fest Presented by Audi Announces New Auteurs and Independents Lineups". afi.com. 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  14. "L'Animale". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  15. "L'Animale". Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  16. "'L'animale', de Katharina Mueckstein, Premio CIMA en Cinemajove 2018". CIMA Asociación de mujeres cineastas y medios audiovisuales (in Spanish). 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  17. Boas, Matthew (19 March 2018). "Murer - Anatomie eines Prozesses scoops Best Austrian Feature Film at the Diagonale". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  18. "2018 Jerusalem Film Festival | Debuts". Jerusalem Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  19. "L'Animale | International Feature Film Competition". Mezipatra Queer Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  20. Lemercier, Fabien (7 November 2018). "120 European films to be showcased at Les Arcs". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  21. "Palmarès 2018 | Les Arcs Film Festival". Les Arcs European Film Festival (in French). Archived from the original on 23 December 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  22. "30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Festival Line-Up". Palm Springs International Film Society. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  23. "Acht ORF-Nominierungen beim Prix Europa 2020" [Eight ORF nominations at the Prix Europa 2020]. ORF (in German). 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  24. "Prix Europa 2020 - List of Nominations" (PDF). Prix Europa. 10 September 2020. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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