Following the story of a young boxer named Camille, Wild Foxes is a story about understanding, compassion, a guy who likes to string up meat for foxes, and beef between the lads.
Set in a sports boarding school, the French language film follows Camille as he attempts to compete for a spot in the French national boxing team.
However, following a near-fatal accident (I’ll leave you on a cliffhanger for the specific details) Camille’s journey to the ring receives a major knockback, as he must find strength in his body and mind once again – a journey that takes up the heart of the film.
While following a group of young boxers, the majority of the 85-minute runtime is spent outside the ring. The film focuses on the challenges and pressures that men face to act tough and strong, and the hypocrisy that exists between the treatment of mental health in comparison to physical health. While I made light heart of the beef surrounding the male group in my intro, it’s something that’s taken quite rightfully seriously within the film, and the key driving force behind much of its thematic focus.
No character is truly good or bad – at least in an archetypal way – instead characters exist in a reality of nuance, where decisions and beliefs can appear valid but simultaneously wrong. This leads to scenes that very effectively capture a real sense of palpable awkwardness, frustrating, and challenging dynamics, that come with male adolescence, and navigating this within a group of others doing the same.
The director Valery Carnoy didn’t actually finish writing the script till after the open casting calls, as he wanted to shape his writing to feel genuine and inspired by the true dynamics of what it means to be a young adolescent, with the main group of boys (bar Samuel Kircher who plays Camille) even possessing a real background in boxing.
This leads to performances and an all-round energy that feels very true to life and at points perhaps upsetting to watch. In fact, generally the film can be a difficult viewing, with distressing scenes, mild gore, and the occasional smelly foot making an appearance, I wouldn’t pick it if you’re in the mood for something cheap and cheerful.
The film can feel slow at points through its run, with this at points making the story feel more intimate and gruelling, although it can sadly dip into a bit of a slog.
I would be lying to say that I was without confliction with some messaging within the film too, as depending on how you consider its narrative, you could say that it falls into the hypocrisies that its aims to dismember – but that’s for you to decide, not for me to spoil.
Nonetheless, there is some real quality in this project. Some great performances from a fresh-faced cast, absorbingly intimate camera work, and a strong alternate to your traditional sports film.
If you like cute foxes, this might be for you, if you dislike seeing previously cute but now dead foxes, maybe it’s not for you.
Verdict:
Screener and images provided by Conic Film
View full credit and cinema information here http://www.conic.film/wildfoxes
Hi, I’m Neil Singer, Culture Editor and second year student, studying media and journalism, and social policy. In my spare time I play for Strathclyde Lacrosse and watch a lot of films. If your reading this then that probably means you’ve looked at my article, so thankyou! You must be one very cool individual.
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