Calling all Edinburgh David Lynch fans! It seems that the return of Lynch’s masterpiece show Twin Peaks has become a success. The world is clinging onto every enigmatic episode and relishing in the unique style that has always bewildered viewers of his work. It seems that the Edinburgh Film Festival pre-empted the success of Lynch’s revival by providing something that could be seen as a Polish/Swiss/Austrian homage to this type of disjointed and dark cinema. Animals (Tiere) is a psychological thriller no David Lynch/Twin Peaks fan should miss!

A Viennese couple on the rocks leave their up market city apartment in the hands of a stranger and head for a secluded but grand cabin in the Swiss countryside. Anna plans to start her thriller novel while husband Nick travels across the area searching for inspiration for his restaurant. The couple get off to a bad start when on route to their destination they hit a sheep. This one event throws the plot into a world of uncertainty of time and place as the couple begin to dis-trust one another and their own surroundings. Secrets are discovered and madness ensues as the characters become increasingly immersed in the dark and disorienting story of simply “What is going on?!”.

Animals is part of the Focus on Poland strand of the film festival, and comes to us from relatively unknown director Greg Zglinski. With it beginning relatively calmly, Zglinski tricks the viewer into thinking this will be a thriller/drama about a trapped married couple and their secrets. Nothing overly spectacular there. Yet, as soon as they hit the road the tone changes. Dark dreams and sudden time gaps unsettle the initial calm and unravel the true essence of the film. A descent into paranoia with a hint of Lynchian obscurity becomes apparent. Zglinski & the actors execute wonderfully that feeling of “We don’t know what’s happening either” which only enhances the enjoyment of a film so offbeat it’s even acceptable to inject some dark humour with a suave French talking cat. Yes, seriously. Set largely in the Swiss countryside with beautiful landscape shots, the film is aesthetically pleasing. Bringing an initial feeling of tranquillity before snatching it away with a disturbing script and a sense of claustrophobia in the wide open countryside. Something not easily achieved. Everyone and anyone, Lynch lover or not should experiment with this unnerving form of cinema and witness the first of hopefully many Zglinski creations.

Animals has one more viewing on the 29th June at the Odeon cinema. This article is to not only push the support of this film, but also the Focus on Poland strand as a whole which has brought forth some of the best work of this year’s Festival.

Director: Greg Zglinski
Writers: Jörg Kalt, Greg Zglinski
Stars: Birgit Minichmayr, Philipp Hochmair, Mona Petri

 

Stephanie Allard
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