‘Wild Foxes’ Review: Budding French Star Samuel Kircher Jabs His Way Through a Tough Yet Tender Debut Boxing Drama

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Boxing films are abundant in cinematic history, dating back to the advent of talking movies. This genre provides an immediate thrill – after all, few things can be as raw and captivating as witnessing a fight between two characters on-screen.

It’s more challenging to create something unique within a genre, but Belgian filmmaker Valéry Carnoy should be applauded for making his first feature film, “Wild Foxes” (or “Dance of the Foxes”), avoid the usual cliches found in testosterone-heavy action films.

He sets the scene at a highly exclusive French sports academy, specifically designed for talented teenage athletes who undergo training throughout their high school years. This public institution appears to be as challenging for these young boxers as every punch they endure in the ring, pushing them towards desperate acts or self-destructive behavior as they strive to become professionals.

Instead of “He stages the action within a highly special location,” I’ve used “He sets the scene at a highly exclusive French sports academy.” Also, instead of “The public institution seems to weigh as heavily on the young fighters as all the punches they take in the ring,” I’ve rephrased it as “This public institution appears to be as challenging for these young boxers as every punch they endure in the ring.”)

The film “Wild Foxes” offers an engaging deviation from the typical formula of coming-of-age sports movies, while still maintaining a strong adherence to its structure. The protagonist, Camille, portrayed sensitively by Samuel Kircher, is a 17-year-old boxing prodigy, widely recognized as the most promising fighter in his age group with dreams of representing France in the Olympics. However, a seemingly insignificant injury causes him to take an unforeseen detour, prompting Camille to ponder the violent nature of his profession and wonder if there’s more to life than emulating boxing legend Marcel Cerdan (for those knowledgeable about French boxing legends).

The movie’s plot follows an extraordinary transformation of a once-feared boxer, Camille, from a revered figure to a shunned outcast. This film delves into the moral complexities surrounding the violence Camille exhibits in the ring, as well as the violence inflicted upon him by his peers, such as his best friend and training partner, Matteo (portrayed by Fayçal Anaflous).

At first encounter, these two individuals appear as if they’re two polished peas in a pod, spending their days in unison for training, creating shirtless TikTok clips alongside teammates such as Jef Jacobs, Hassan Alili, and Salahdin El Garchi. Their lifestyle is a blend of relentless work and playful camaraderie. When they’re not engaging in 10K runs or boxing upon their trainer’s command, Bogdan (Jean-Baptiste Durand), they secretly venture to the forest adjacent to the school, sharing illicit meat with the elusive foxes that reside within the underbrush.

On one of their outings, Camille plummets from a cliff and comes precariously close to death, managing to survive with just a deep gash on his right arm. However, he’s not the same afterwards – he’s haunted by the incident. The memory of the fall causes him phantom pain, making him hesitant to fight or train, while nightly panic attacks keep him awake. Meanwhile, Camille encounters a girl named Yas (Anne Heckel), who practices taekwondo but also has a passion for playing classical music on the trumpet.

This version maintains the original’s tone and meaning, while using more natural, easy-to-understand language.

The consequences of a perilous fall and its subsequent events prompt Camille – revealed as someone who’s been practicing boxing since he was eight, due to an abusive father – to seek out fresh experiences beyond the ring. While this is typically beneficial, it becomes problematic within the intense environment of a sports-études program where students are required to excel significantly. His fellow boxers, notably his rival LBF, start to harbor resentment towards Camille for not meeting the team’s expectations, causing a rift between the young champion and his closest friend Matteo.

Throughout the movie, Carnoy manages to keep things engaging from beginning to end, interspersing intense drama with bursts of violence and intervals of relaxation, where we momentarily escape into the vast forest surrounding the school. Some parts of the narrative seem repetitive, such as an unexpected fox hunt that suddenly appears in the third act. However, the director effectively maintains a high level of suspense, consistently focusing on Camille’s perspective as he endures numerous hardships but also retaliates forcefully. This struggle paves the way for a path towards self-discovery.

Coming back to Cannes with two films (including this one and “The Girl in the Snow”), Kircher reappears on the scene after his first appearance in Catherine Breillat’s “Last Summer” in 2023. Kircher, son of actress Irène Jacob and brother of actor Paul Kircher (“The Animal Kingdom”), takes charge of the movie with a captivating performance. He portrays a range of emotions, from fragile and weak in some scenes where he can barely stand or protect himself, to aggressive and volatile in others.

This storyline consistently delves into the parallel struggles, as Wild Foxes does, comparing the determined young boxers striving for their destinies and the resilient wildlife battling to endure in the adjacent forests. They inhabit a harsh environment where fortunes can shift swiftly, similar to Camille, who might become either predator or prey at any moment. The film’s central theme is whether there may exist an alternative path, leading to an intense final battle that serves more as a testament to endurance than a decisive win.

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2025-05-17 11:24