TOO MANY BEASTS

After being transferred to a small town in the French countryside for assaulting a superior officer, disgraced cop Orsini has all but given up on his career, going through the motions with little interest in the job. That changes when he and his new partner are called to investigate a series of acts of property damage across several estates. After hearing that the incidents may have been orchestrated by a local farmer long believed to be dead, Orsini begins digging deeper. As he gradually pieces the puzzle together, Orsini also begins opening up to the station psychiatrist, Stéphane Denjir, who proves to be just as troubled and disillusioned as he is.

The deeper Orsini digs, the more he uncovers a web of corruption tied to the region's exploding wild boar population and its prestigious hunting season. As devastated crops fuel growing resentment among local farmers, long-simmering tensions threaten to erupt. With nothing left to lose and fed up with the corruption surrounding him, Orsini risks everything to expose the truth, aided by the equally determined Denjir.

Inspired by an article in a French newspaper about farmers’ anger over supplemental wildlife feeding and the wild boar population explosion, Italian-Swiss filmmaker Sarah Arnold’s debut feature deftly blends offbeat black comedy with crime drama, while remaining firmly rooted in the very real conflict between social classes. Alexis Manenti and Ella Rumpf (whom our audience will recognize from RAW and TIGER GIRL) make for a perfectly mismatched duo whose chemistry reaches its peak in an outrageously funny final act. TOO MANY BEASTS, which premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes earlier this year, showcases the undeniable talent of a filmmaker with a masterful command of a cinematic language that seamlessly blends social satire with gleefully trashy humor. (ANNICK MAHNERT)