Anonymous Animals

A peculiar film with a simple but gripping concept: what if animals treated humans like we treat them? Yes, this is a rather activist film with a clear and unmistakable message, but it's executed in such a way that it can be enjoyed regardless of its intent, and that makes all the difference.

Three segments show the terrible ways some people treat animals: a dog comes across a stray person by the road and takes him home. A group of people is held on a farm like cattle, and a deer is standing guard by the side of the forest, waiting to start his hunt for a human on the run.

The cinematography is very stark and deliberate, the costumes are surprisingly effective for a low-budget film, and the sound design is the real star here. The presentation is stylish and moody, adding a tangible sense of dread, it's just that the message feels a bit too simplistic and one-sided for the film to be a real stand-out. The runtime is short, still, I feel more could've been done to elaborate on the concept. An interesting film though!