Savages

By Claude Barras, 2024, Switzerland, France and Belgium, 87min, DCP
Starring Benoît Poelvoorde, Laetitia Dosch, Michel Vuillermoz
In French with English subtitles

Following the success of his acclaimed 2016 animated film My Life as a Zucchini, Swiss director Claude Barras returns with an enchanting, humor-filled stop-motion ecological tale set on the Southeast Asian Island of Borneo. Collaborating with screenwriter Nancy Houston, the film centers on Kéria, who takes in a baby orangutan named Oshi just before her cousin Selaï arrives to stay after escaping his family’s ongoing conflict with local logging companies. Together, the trio must fight back against the planned destruction of their beloved ancestral forest. Brought to life by Barras’ intricately crafted puppets, the story unfolds against the rich backdrops of the tropical trees, plants, and rivers of the island’s rainforests.

Part of Animation First’s focus on Swiss Animation