CANNES2025 - remote notes

[Chris Knipp]

WILD FOXES (Valéry Carnoy) - Directors' Fortnight


SAMUEL KIRCHER IN WILD FOXES

WILD FOXES/LA DANSE DES RENARDS, is a debut school boxing drama by Belgian writer-director Valéry Carnoy starring rising young French film actor Samuel Kircher that is receiving mixed reviews. Critics praise Kircher's performance and the film's exploration of masculinity and friendship within a boxing context. Some find the plot predictable and lacking a unique edge, particularly the fox hunt subplot. Jordan Mintzer's revidw in HOLLYWOOD REPORTER highlights Kircher's strong portrayal of the troubled young boxer, while IONCINEMA's review finds "frustratingly familiar tropes" and criticizes the film for its lack of depth. SCREENDAILY's review says the film "lands a punch" and suggests its timely themes of a young school boxer meeting the challenge of a big injury could attract arthouse audiences. The Directors' Fortnight section includes 19 films, some most of note being ENZO (Cantet-Campillo), MIROIRS No. 3 (Christian Petzold), and YES (Nadav Lapid).