L'Animale
{{Short description|2018 film by Katharina Mückstein}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = L'Animale
| image = L'Animale (2018) poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Katharina Mückstein
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Nikolaus Geyrhalter
- Markus Glaser
- Michael Kitzberger
- Flavio Marchetti
- Katharina Mückstein
- Michael Schindegger
- Natalie Schwager
- Wolfgang Widerhofer
}}
| screenplay = {{plainlist|
- Katharina Mückstein
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Sophie Stockinger
- Kathrin Resetarits
- Dominik Warta
- Julia Franz Richter
- Jack Hofer
}}
| music = Bernhard Fleischmann
| cinematography = Michael Schindegger
| editing = Natalie Schwager
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion{{Cite web |title=L'Animale |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/film/346370/ |website=Cineuropa |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110030/https://cineuropa.org/en/film/346370/ |url-status=live }}
- La Banda Film
}}
| distributor = Polyfilm Verleih
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2018|02|18|Berlin Film Festival|ref1={{Cite web |title=L'Animale |url=https://www.austrianfilms.com/film/lanimale |website=Austrian Film Commission |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224084435/https://www.austrianfilms.com/film/lanimale |url-status=live }}|2018|03|16|Austria|ref2={{Cite web |title=L'Animale |url=https://filminstitut.at/en/movies/lanimale |website=Austrian Film Institute |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110027/https://filminstitut.at/en/movies/lanimale |url-status=live }}}}
| budget =
| gross =
}}
L'Animale is a 2018 Austrian coming-of-age drama film{{Cite web |last=Kiang |first=Jessica |date=1 March 2018 |title='L'Animale' Review: Berlin Film Festival |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/lanimale-review-1202714081/ |website=Variety |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110025/https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/lanimale-review-1202714081/ |url-status=live }} written and directed by Katharina Mückstein, starring {{ill|Sophie Stockinger|de}}. 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 at the 2019 Austrian Film Award, including Best Film and Best Actress.
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 completely different from her. Meanwhile, Mati's parents struggle with a long-kept secret.
Cast
- {{ill|Sophie Stockinger|de}} 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. Director Katharina Mückstein also wrote the screenplay for the film. The score was composed by Bernhard Fleischmann.
The title, L'Animale, comes from the 1985 Italian song of the same name performed by Franco Battiato, which is featured in the film.{{Cite web |last=Petković |first=Vladan |date=21 February 2018 |title=Review: L'Animale |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/348253/ |website=Cineuropa |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110028/https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/348253/ |url-status=live }}
Director Katharina Mückstein wrote the role of Mati especially for {{ill|Sophie Stockinger|de}}.{{Cite web |last=Waculik |first=Tanja |date=27 September 2016 |title=Pressbaum als "Klein-Hollywood": Kinofilm wurde im Wienerwald gedreht |trans-title=Pressbaum as "Little Hollywood": The movie was shot in the Vienna Woods |url=https://www.meinbezirk.at/purkersdorf/c-lokales/pressbaum-als-klein-hollywood-kinofilm-wurde-im-wienerwald-gedreht_a1871729 |website=meinbezirk.at |language=German |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224080431/https://www.meinbezirk.at/purkersdorf/c-lokales/pressbaum-als-klein-hollywood-kinofilm-wurde-im-wienerwald-gedreht_a1871729 |url-status=live }} L'Animale marks their second collaboration following the 2013 film Talea. 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".{{Cite web |last=Lemercier |first=Fabien |date=20 December 2018 |title=Katharina Mückstein • Director of L'Animale |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/interview/364880/ |website=Cineuropa |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=21 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221181757/https://cineuropa.org/en/interview/364880/ |url-status=live }}
Stockinger had to learn to ride a bike for the motocross scenes.
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."{{Cite web |last=Hopewell |first=John |date=5 February 2018 |title=Berlinale: First Trailer of Panorama's 'L'Animale,' Sold by Films Boutique (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/global/berlinale-first-trailer-panorama-lanimale-films-boutique-1202686962/ |website=Variety |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224115412/https://variety.com/2018/film/global/berlinale-first-trailer-panorama-lanimale-films-boutique-1202686962/ |url-status=live }}
= Filming =
Filming began in Vienna, Austria on 8 July 2016 and wrapped on 23 September 2016.{{Cite web |title=L'Animale, Feature Film, 2016-2018 |url=https://www.crew-united.com/en/projekte/displayProjectdata.asp?IDPD=214463 |website=Crew United |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110027/https://www.crew-united.com/en/projekte/displayProjectdata.asp?IDPD=214463 |url-status=live }}
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.{{Cite web |last=Gruber-Dorninger |first=Martin |date=21 September 2016 |url=https://www.noen.at/purkersdorf/filmkulisse-in-pressbaum-und-action-in-pressbaum-23589736 |trans-title="And Action" in Pressbaum |title="Und Action" in Pressbaum |website=Noen.at |language=German |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922005303/https://www.noen.at/purkersdorf/filmkulisse-in-pressbaum-und-action-in-pressbaum-23589736 |url-status=live }} 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."
Release
The first trailer for the film was unveiled on 5 February 2018. The film made its world premiere at the 68th Berlin Film Festival on 18 February 2018 in the Panorama section, and it also competed for Teddy Award, a separate section from the festival.{{Cite web |title=L'Animale {{!}} Teddy Award - The official queer award at the Berlin International Film Festival |url=https://teddyaward.tv/en/archive?a-z=1&select=L&id_film=780 |website=teddyaward.tv |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224080432/https://teddyaward.tv/en/archive?a-z=1&select=L&id_film=780 |url-status=live }} It was released in theaters in Austria by Polyfilm Verleih on 16 March 2018. The film was screened at AFI Fest 2018 as part of the New Auteurs section.{{Cite web |date=4 October 2018 |title=AFI Fest Presented by Audi Announces New Auteurs and Independents Lineups |url=https://www.afi.com/press/afi-fest-2018-presented-by-audi-announces-new-auteurs-and-american-independents-lineups/ |website=afi.com |access-date=23 December 2022 |archive-date=23 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110025/https://www.afi.com/press/afi-fest-2018-presented-by-audi-announces-new-auteurs-and-american-independents-lineups/ |url-status=live }}
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 88% based on 8 reviews, with a weighted average of 7/10.{{Cite web |title=L'Animale |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lanimale |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=20 September 2024 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224012033/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lanimale |url-status=live }}
Awards and nominations
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.lanimale.com/en/ Official site]
- {{IMDb title}}
{{Katharina Mückstein}}
{{Portal bar|Austria|Film}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Animale, L'}}
Category:2010s German-language films
Category:2018 independent films
Category:2010s coming-of-age films
Category:Austrian independent films
Category:Teen LGBTQ-related films
Category:LGBTQ-related coming-of-age drama films
Category:Austrian LGBTQ-related films
Category:Motorcycle racing films
Category:2018 LGBTQ-related films
Category:2010s LGBTQ-related drama films