Only the Animals 2021

In a gripping prologue, we encounter a young Ivorian man named Rolex (Cheick Diakité) navigating the streets of Abidjan while transporting a goat on his back. He arrives at an apartment building in search of “Papa Sanou” (Christian Ezan). The scene then transitions to the French Massif Central amidst a harsh winter, leading us into the first chapter titled “Alice.” Here, we meet Alice Farange, played by [Laure Calamy], an insurance agent visiting a sheep farm owned by Joseph Bonnefille (played by [Damien Bonnard]), who is leading a solitary life. As they interact, business is conducted, and intimacy arises between them. However, Alice soon senses Joseph’s distraction during their time together. After returning to her cattle farm where she resides with her husband, Michel (Denis Ménochet), and her father (Fred Ulysse), she learns of a brewing blizzard and a report about a missing woman, Evelyne Ducat (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), who lived nearby with her husband Guillaume (Roland Plantin).

The following day, local policeman Cédric Vigier (Bastien Bouillon) inquires at the Faranges about the case, though they choose to remain tight-lipped, even as Alice recollects seeing Evelyne’s forsaken vehicle during her trip back from Joseph’s. After Cédric leaves, tension rises as Michel confronts Alice regarding her affair with Joseph. The next day, during another visit to the farm, Alice finds Joseph’s dog dead from a gunshot wound, and upon Joseph’s arrival, he outrageously urges her to leave. Michel later returns home bloodied after an undisclosed altercation, and when Alice suspects he might have harmed Joseph’s dog, he falls silent. Before long, Michel mysteriously vanishes, leaving his vehicle behind for both Cédric and Alice to discover.

The narrative progresses into a new chapter titled “Joseph.” This chapter reveals that Joseph uncovers Evelyne’s body behind his farmhouse – a sight that Alice had previously interrupted. Initially attempting to conceal the body, he falters in his resolve and constructs a hideaway of hay bales in the barn to keep Evelyne hidden. As the days unfold, he begins conversing with Evelyne, even playing music for her as he spends the nights beside her in her secluded sanctuary. Struggling with guilt, he hallucinates a living Evelyne forgiving him for not reporting his own mother’s death, who he had allowed to decompose. The dog’s frantic barking eventually raises suspicion in Cédric during a visit. In a dramatic turn of events, Joseph shoots the dog after it attempts to drag Evelyne’s body, correlating with a repeat scene showcasing Alice’s earlier visit, now from Joseph’s perspective. Overwhelmed by the danger of keeping Evelyne’s corpse, he resolves to dispose of it in a remote sinkhole, even taking the plunge with it, leading to his tragic demise.

In the next chapter, “Marion,” we meet Marion (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a young waitress at a seaside restaurant in Sète, who unexpectedly shares a flirtatious moment with Evelyne, who is dining alone. Their passion ignites further during subsequent encounters at Evelyne’s hotel. Evelyne cryptically mentions her husband but implies that he is indifferent to her activities. However, Marion’s feelings deepen, driving her to venture into the mountains to find Evelyne at her country residence. As fate would have it, Michel spots Marion while driving with Alice, but recoils upon seeing her face. Reuniting, Evelyne and Marion’s romance resumes, though the former grows anxious about the younger woman’s presence in her life. In a turn of events, a misunderstanding leads to a violent confrontation between Evelyne and Marion, culminating in Evelyne ending their affair harshly.

The final chapter unveils the mystery of “Amandine.” We return to Abidjan, introducing Armand (Guy Roger ‘Bibisse’ N’Drin), who shares gossip about Rolex’s newfound high-life resulting from successful Internet scams facilitated by Papa Sanou. Inspired, he embarks on a similar journey, engaging with Michel online under the alias Amandine, sharing images of a young woman resembling Marion. As the scam unfolds, Armand visits Papa Sanou, who predicates a supernatural warning demanding a cut of the earnings. The scam intensifies, placing Michel under pressure, culminating in a tragic mix-up that leads to the death of Evelyne at Michel’s hands, driven by jealousy and misunderstanding.

Overall, the intertwining fates of these characters unravel in a web of deception, desire, and tragic outcomes, leaving a haunting impression of how intertwined lives can lead to unexpected and often fatal conclusions.