One of the films that had its world premiere this week at theSundance Film FestivalisMy Animal, a new werewolf story from Jacqueline Castel. TheSundance websitedescribes the film as “a harrowing family drama, a steamy teen romance, and a classic monster tale” with an undercurrent of themes of otherness and self-acceptance. Starring in the film isBobbi Salvör Menuez(Under the Silver Lake) andAmandla Stenberg(Bodies Bodies Bodies).
“Bobbi and Amandla were my first choices when we began castingMy Animal– the synchronicity of their dual commitment is the kind of magically aligned rarity that a director always dreams of. Finding our home at Paramount completed the circle, their trust and support has been extremely meaningful,” Castel toldThe Hollywood Reporter.
Heather (Menuez) is an outcast in her hometown dealing with an oppressive, alcoholic mother, her hockey team keeping her on the sidelines and being trapped inside whenever the moon is full. That’s when she meets Jonny (Stenberg), a newcomer who opens up all these new doors for Heather. Ones that leave her to deal with the clash between her desires and darker instincts.
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Menuez Discusses My Animal and Horror
In an interview withWWD, Menuez had this to say about the film:
“Things that resonated and were exciting for me was the realness of the relationships, and the way in which the story follows this world-expanding moment for this person when they’re falling in love for the first time. And choosing to take risks for the first time and let someone else into their world and into their most vulnerable parts of themselves. Thinking about the transformative healing power of queer love and self-discovery — there’s just so many of those elements woven throughout.”
Menuez has been a horror genre fan for many years now and particularly enjoys “the expansiveness of the midnight genre.” How “so many cinematic rules” found within other films don’t necessarily apply in a horror movie, and how the genre’s allegories and metaphors can be both “rich” and “compelling.”
My Animalalso gave Menuez a new appreciation for hockey. A Brooklyn native, Menuez wasn’t a big ice skater growing up. Doing it every once in a while “the way a kid growing up in New York has once or twice.” According to them, that paled in comparison to the experience of all the Canadians in the film with Menuez. And afterward, they got to keep the skates from filming and use them in their own life.
My Animalwill screen on Jan. 25 at 10:30 pm CST in Salt Lake City at the Rose Wagner Center. It will also play in the same city, but at the Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway on Jan. 29 at 8 pm CST. Before then, you could also catch it in Park City at the Holiday Village Cinemas on Jan. 28 at 7:30 pm CST.
