'The Empire', a crazy and funny parody of science fiction cinema

One does not always get the feeling that the French director is entirely clear about what he wants to get across, but his brilliance in staging makes this film a fundamentally unique experience, capable of combining high-level auteur cinema with a dramaturgical structure that also recalls many B-movies.

The imagery staged recalls sci-fi cinema colossals - from the 'Star Wars' saga to 'Dune', via the Marvel Cinematic Universe - combined with elements linking 'L'empire' to other works by the French director. Indeed, there are the two irresistible policemen from the aforementioned "P'tit Quinquin", also present in the 2018 sequel "Coincoin et les z'inhumains", another miniseries that also touches on that sci-fi theme present more explicitly in this new feature.

What Bruno Dumont creates is a unique experience, for better or for worse, where viewers lose themselves together with the characters of this small community by the sea, where minimalist realism of the direction meets always excessive and flashy special effects at all costs.

Not all sequences work fully, but if you play along, the overall design is compelling, proving entertaining and undoubtedly anomalous compared to the vast majority of titles we are used to seeing in the cinema.

In the cast, of particular note is the presence of a wild Fabrice Luchini, deliberately over the top like the character he is called upon to play.

Also curious is 'The Animal Kingdom', Thomas Cailley's second work, made nine years after his debut with 'The Fighters'.

Chosen as the opening film of the Un certain regard section of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and having received twelve César Award nominations, the film is about a father and son trying to continue their lives in a world where some humans have begun to mutate with other animal species. Very soon, like his mother, the boy begins to show signs of a transformation that will change him forever.

Mixing a journey of education with reflections on human symbolism, Cailley signs a feature film of great humanity, which reflects on family relationships and the need to have people around us who believe in us and give us the right affection.

The French director speaks through metaphors and allegories in this film that starts off strong with a series of scenes that immediately immerse us in a world where animal transformations are the order of the day and have also directly touched the two protagonists of the film.

Some narrative twists and turns are predictable and the film feels a little familiar, but the pace remains high until the end and there are a couple of sequences (a nocturnal car chase, first and foremost) that touch very deep chords and (di)show how this feature film is also, and perhaps above all, an emotional and, at times, even moving product.