Savages (Sauvages)

There are two interpretations of the term savages early on though it doesn’t take long to work out which one applies to whom.

Keria (Babette de Coster) is living in Borneo with her father Mutang (Benoît Poelvoorde) who works for a company that is farming palm oil.

The plantation owners and workers have little regard for the wildlife around them and rip through anything that gets in their way. As a result of their behaviour Keria comes into the possession of a baby orangutang she names Oshi (Charles de Ville).

At the same time, her cousin Selaï (Martin Verset) comes to stay with them while his family fight for their rights to the forest. They immediately don’t get on coming from completely different worlds. This is marked when the go to school where Keria rejects Selaï outright.

Having had enough Selaï leaves the house to go home. Oshi goes with him which compels Keria to follow. Selaï is more comfortable in the forest though he’s by no means an expert. Matters are complicated with Oshi being too young to eat solids and bitten by a poisonous snake. Luckily they are found by naturalist/activist Jeanne (Laëtitia Dosh) who takes them to the where Selaï’s family are. Here Keria begins to appreciate the situation of her family and understand her own background.

There is precious little subtlety in Claude Barras’s Savages, co-written with Catherine Paillé. With the good and the bad cast in black and white, though there’s some shading with Mutang being employed by the company. Aimed at children this is hardly surprising though the introduction of Oshi softens the blows of the narrative drive, a little.

The animation is beautiful and voice work of the actors spot on in tone and delivery. There’s also the deeper development of Keria’s character and her background adding layers to the story and introducing a mystical element.

It's also quite funny at times as when Keria sanctimoniously declares that she is a vegan during a family meal in the forest, when a cooked snake is placed in front of her, only to be told plainly, that’s it.

As mentioned, Barras unashamedly takes on the vexed issues of greedy corporations and deforestation that leads to destruction of habitat and the lives of Indigenous peoples. However, Barras is careful here to ensure that the people are not depicted as ignorant of what is going on around them, or out of touch with today's society and tech. They too use mobile phones and the social media that goes with it.

Savages will be in UK cinemas from 1 August 2025.