Film Review: ANIMALIA: Sofia Alaoui’s Film is Compelling but its Mysterious Plot Needs More of a Resolve [Sundance 2023]

Animalia Review

Animalia (2023) Film Review from the 46th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Sofia Alaoui and starring Oumaïma Barid, Mehdi Dehbi, Souad Khouyi and Fouad Oughaou.

Filmmaker Sofia Alaoui’s new film, Animalia, is a work of great complexity but there’s a lack of depth to the film’s ambiguous conclusion which undermines some of its integrity by asking the audience to make up their own mind about what happens as the picture ends. With that being said, the film belongs to its star, Oumaïma Barid, who plays a pregnant woman fighting to get her life back. She’s not necessarily fighting with knives and guns but rather with her heart as she must overcome some tremendous obstacles to protect her future as well as that of her unborn baby. This film is certainly ambitious enough and Barid’s performance will make it worthwhile for viewers who like a considerable amount of ambiguity in their drama.

Set in Morocco, Barid stars as Itto, a woman who feels like something of an outsider with her husband, Amine (Mehdi Dehbi)’s family. Itto’s relationship with her husband is seemingly on solid ground but Itto’s mother-in-law (Souad Khouyi) is demanding and Itto doesn’t necessarily fit into the wealthy lifestyle she has become accustomed to. When Itto is left on her own (per Itto’s own choice), she finds some happy peace of mind. Amine and the family go away on a little trip and Itto moves and grooves as “It’s Your Thing (Do What You Want to Do)” plays on the soundtrack. That’s when the plot gets a little tricky as, soon, a massive event starts to take precedence and Itto’s life (and everybody else’s) will never be the same.

There is some fascination with empty spaces in Animalia. An impressive shot late in the movie shows an isolated street inhabited by just a dog as Itto looks on. This movie feels like it was made with the effects of the pandemic in mind as all hell breaks loose during the course of the movie. While Itto is misled into thinking she is going to be brought to find her husband, she ends up meeting Fouad (Fouad Oughaou) who consents to help her return to her family, for she finds herself emotionally and physically lost in an abyss of nothingness as the world is falling apart around her.

There is a dog who seems violent yet protective at one point in the movie which keeps the viewer wondering what to make of the changes in the animals that occur as a result of the ensuing chaos in the picture. Birds and dogs are the key animals that one must keep a close eye on as the film progresses to decipher what exactly is going on in the situation which Itto is immersed in.

While I’ve been vague about the occurrence that rocks Itto’s world (and every character in the film’s world), there is seemingly another worldly entity at the helm of Animalia but Alaoui keeps the film character driven, for the most part. You won’t get big explosions or answers regarding all the questions the movie raises. What you will get is a forceful performance by Oumaïma Barid as Itto, a character who is moving forward despite the odds perhaps because she wants what she has lost and what she will gain in the future–the soon to be born baby.

Itto, as a character, is well-conceived. She wasn’t born into wealth but she ended up in a comfortable lifestyle through her marriage. When that lifestyle is soon taken away from her, she must maintain her own integrity to live fruitfully in the moment with the prospect of the future motivating her. It’s a terrific concept but doesn’t lead to any groundbreaking revelations which could be a deal breaker for some viewers.

Animalia has religious overtones towards the end. They are handled well and will not make the movie any less interesting to someone who is keen to watch this movie in the first place. One of the more compelling scenes in the movie has Itto staying seated as a man or two look on at her because she has every right to sit down and be where she has to be, for whatever reason. Itto is a strong female character and is written with great depth. The script, however, is ultimately too ambiguous to shed light on where she will end up after the end credits roll. There may be some hope but there is also some despair as well.

That being said, Animalia is a thought-provoking movie about not taking for granted what we already have. Everything can change for everyone in a heartbeat. The pandemic proved that. The world event in the film is the catalyst for the action and although things could have been explained more regarding the uncertain phenomenon occurring in the picture, perhaps Animalia wants audiences to fill in the blanks it provides to the viewer. If that sounds like something you’d like to do in a movie, Oumaïma Barid’s fine performance will keep you riveted as you try to piece together the details the movie leaves wide open for audience interpretation.

Rating: 6.5/10

Leave your thoughts on this Animalia review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more Sundance Film Festival news can visit our Sundance Film Festival Page, our Film Festival Page, and our Film Festival Facebook Page. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page.

Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, and Flipboard.