Title: The Animal Remains
Foreign Title: Zival, ki ostane
Year: 2025
Countries: Slovenia, Czech Republic
Language: Slovenian
Director: Ivana Vogrinc Hovorka Vidali
Click here to see the cast and crew
Natasa Matjasec’s (Mira) compelling performance ranges from nuanced to visceral in this reminder of the emotional cost on a personal level when trying to deal with a gatekeeping bureaucracy.
Our central character, Mira is camping out in the forest with her dog, Baxus, in an unfinished home being constructed on her property. It is uncertain whether she is there temporarily to protect her property while it is under construction or if this is an escape to a permanent situation.
There are heartwarming and familiar scenes to pet owners as the director/writer (Vidali) establishes the close bond between Mira and Baxus
This idyllic space and time are interrupted by marauding local vandals who seem to be regular visitors to the property. When Mira witnesses a horrific sexual assault in real time through her trail camera feed, she is confronted by her own moral character to report it.
Matjasec’s facial expressions are incredibly effective throughout the film especially in conveying her dilemma as she weighs the costs of doing the right thing and then when she realizes its futility. For the audience it is an example of the old adage of “no good deed going unpunished” and for Mira it is a complete loss of her inner self as she loses everything she values.
