About Animale
By Ava Cahen
Emma Benestan’s interview
A potent feminist manifesto, starring the radiating actress Oulaya Amamra, Animale revisits in style the myth of the beast and the animalistic roar.
When we started the casting process with Cendrine Lapuyade, we were often told that Nejma didn’t exist, that it was a fragment of my imagination. I felt people were reluctant. I felt vindicated; if that character was settling, it meant that it was close to a reality people didn’t want to see. Having Nejma step into the arena, through the power of fiction, had caused a significant breach in the social construct, allowing for other fantasies to be built. Nejma comes from a place of utter rejection, and that’s why she does so much! She ends up being a victim, but, more importantly, seeing the violence that surrounds her: nasty, condescending or discriminatory remarks from some of the guys in the band, the speaker who announces her as she comes into the arena, reminding the audience that she is the only woman among men… The stage is hers, but the slightest mistake is an opportunity to remind her that she isn't really one of the guys. Fragile questioned men’s fragility. In Animale, I wanted to question the power of a woman - a power that is scary - but also the price to pay to achieve that power and strength. That’s why I wanted the film to revolve around denial. That denial is made stronger by her burning desire to be one of them…
