Anonymous Animals

"Les Animaux Anonymes draws its origin from an obsessive image: that of a horse attacking man under carnivorous impulses. This nightmarish unconscious image came to nourish other very real ones, stemming from a rural childhood. Because of my proximity to a natural environment, I was the privileged observer of a wild nature, but also the witness of a fatal hold of man on the animal through exploitation and hunting". - Baptiste Rouveure

This year's festival in Gérardmer will have allowed us to discover many films and above all offer spectators a wide range of fantastic cinema. Les animaux anonymes written and directed by Baptiste Rouveure is undoubtedly a true intense cinematic experience and above all of rare emotional strength. By his postulate by which our current world is totally transformed and in which animals have taken power and continued to evolve, man has taken his place and become a simple animal, devoid of words man has taken the place of simple cattle and undergoes very violent acts of animals (mass slaughter, abandonment on the roads, fights between men as it is the case of fights between dogs...). The message of the film is clear, man no longer respects his natural environment and some of his acts are punishable.

Because of its short length, Anonymous Animals goes straight to the point and focuses on the events reported rather than giving certain characters more psychology. The result is a real feeling of suffering for spectators like these poor humans from the dramatic actions of these human-looking animals. The result is an original film of abyssal darkness.

With a real economy of means, this first film hits the nail on the head and remains in our memory after seeing it. The strength of its images and this impression of the imminent end of the world in which society seems to have lost all trace of humanity gives us a plunge into the depths of hell. No need for bloody images or Dantesque visions to deliver a film that makes a mark and really questions us about our future. At a time when a global pandemic has forever changed the course of things and our vision of the world, Anonymous Animals is a sad reflection of our society.

Anonymous Animals
Written and directed by Baptiste Rouveure
Starring Thierry Marcos, Aurélien Chilarski, Pauline Guilpain, Emilien Lavaut
Music by Damien Maurel
Cinematography : Emmanuel Dauchy, Kevin Brunet & Baptiste Rouveure
Edited by Baptiste Rouveure
Production companies : Anonymous Animals Films
Running time: 64 minutes

Seen on January 27, 2021 (Gerardmer Festival)