Mammalia

Camil is struggling with his place in the world – a world he perceives as dominated by women. He feels disconnected from his girlfriend, who spends more and more time with her “group”: a pagan-like collective performing tribal fertility rituals. At work, he feels redundant as well, unable to make any lasting contributions. The only way to defend himself from becoming obsolete is to reexamine his role as a man in society. 

Romanian director Sebastian Mihăilescu’s contribution to Berlin’s Forum section is an experimental reflection on what he refers to as “the crisis of manhood”. 

In terms of form, Mammalia can be described as a collage piece of mostly self-contained long takes. Occasionally, the fragments can be challenging to assemble into a coherent narrative; the facets are not designed to slot together snugly, but remain loose and could very well form an altogether new picture if arranged differently.

Shot on 16mm film, the grain adds liveliness to the images that are distant, unmoving and observant for the better part of the 88-minute run time. Some shots are blocked with crisp sophistication: Camil sleeping at a table, surrounded by fruit can be likened to a painted still life, the only movement provided by bugs crawling about. In other instances, the choreography appears haphazard, such as a character crossing a space and changing their walk halfway through without a comprehensible incentive to do so. 

The script is somewhat inscrutable, as some scenes consist of conventional dialogue, while others have characters talking at each other in long rants that are often difficult to stay on top of. 

With a consistent stream of walkouts at minute intervals during Berlinale’s first press screening, it is difficult to imagine a future for this film beyond festivals and perhaps art installations.

Selina Sondermann

Mammalia does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2023 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Mammalia here: