In ‘Animal,’ I come to terms with my own experiences. “We gradually descend into a surreal horror in which perfect mothers and their perfect houses with perfect furnishings become a mortal danger. Everyone here knows how to raise a child properly, only Fanynka feels completely useless,” says director Milada Těšitelová. “The protagonist finds herself in a neighborhood whose residents live a life advertising motherhood. In “Animal,” a co-production between Czech Republic and Slovakia, a wannabe “perfect” mother gives birth to a cat. “Think ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ without the religion, in a not too distant future reminiscent of ‘Black Mirror’,” she explains. Many projects, however, will also reflect current reality from the perspective of women, including the ongoing battle for reproductive rights – just like in Rhona Rees’ “Freya,” where she imagines a “truly dark pro-birth future.” As birth control is only available to men, her protagonist is tricked into getting pregnant after a one-night stand. The horror portrayed in this film is in equal parts beautiful, grotesque and unflinching,” says Cosmo Salovaara about his “class exploitation buttressed by vampiric motifs.” “They infuse it, fueled not by visceral needs but capitalist demands for youth and beauty.

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