The Darwinners
The Darwinners
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Watch-outs
What this film brings
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
1/5
Accessible
Adult themes
2/5
Present
Expert review
This animated comedy places a satirical family story in an absurd prehistoric world, with a playful but fast moving tone that works best for viewers who can follow exaggerated jokes and social parody. Sensitive material mainly includes a character falling into a coma after an allergic reaction, a shamanic ritual involving mushrooms, several moments of crowd menace, and a threatened execution by burning, all presented in a highly stylized and unrealistic way. The overall intensity stays moderate because the film relies on irony, caricature, and cartoon logic rather than sustained fear, yet some younger children may still react to the idea of a child becoming unconscious or to the father's emotionally detached response. For many children around 7 or 8, the content is likely manageable if they already enjoy slightly edgy animated adventures, while very young viewers may be more confused than truly scared. Parents can help by framing the film as broad satire, and by briefly explaining that the coma, ritual scenes, and angry mob imagery are exaggerated comic devices rather than realistic danger.
Synopsis
In a prehistory for operettas that is seemingly doomed never to evolve, a conflicted father and daughter disrupt the Stone Age routine. After a tragic-comedy round-trip to the future, they accidentally bring back an Ikea “bent key”, which will at last trigger Evolution, for better or for worse… Writing, religion, politics… who will be capable of putting an end to these disasters?
Difficult scenes
Early in the story, Web wants to go out to a very exclusive nightlife spot and eventually sneaks out. Once there, she has an allergic reaction to lichen and falls into a coma, which may worry young children even though the scene is handled in a comic and unrealistic way. The emotional mismatch is heightened by her father's deliberately cold reaction, which can feel unsettling to children expecting a comforting parental response. In an attempt to reach her, Blog visits a shaman who performs a ritual involving chanting, movement, and mushroom chewing. The sequence is not presented like realistic drug use, yet it still shows an altered state of consciousness in a strange atmosphere, which may confuse younger viewers or prompt questions from parents. When the object brought back from the future starts changing the valley, the film shows increasingly fanatical collective behavior and an angry crowd. This section includes a strong threat of punishment, with the idea that characters could be burned at the stake, although the tone remains satirical and there is no graphic violence. Several scenes use broad social and political satire, with religion, ideology, and mob behavior played for irony. Younger children may not understand the references, but they can still pick up on the agitation, arguments, and crowd pressure, which may feel intense even without realistic danger.
Where to watch
No verified platform for the US market yet. We keep this section updated as availability changes.
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2024
- Runtime
- 1h 20m
- Countries
- Belgium, France
- Original language
- FR
- Directed by
- Julien Berjeaut, Jean-Paul Guigue
- Main cast
- Frédéric Pierrot, Guillaume Gallienne, Michel Vuillermoz, Clément Sibony, Denis Ménochet, Noémie de Lattre, Sophia Aram, Lison Daniel, Alex Vizorek, Agnès Hurstel
- Studios
- Je suis bien content, Left Field Ventures, ARTE, Leftfield, BeTV, SG Image 2021, CNC, Wallimage, Waooh!, Steel Fish Pictures
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
1/5
Accessible
Adult themes
2/5
Present
Expert review
This animated comedy places a satirical family story in an absurd prehistoric world, with a playful but fast moving tone that works best for viewers who can follow exaggerated jokes and social parody. Sensitive material mainly includes a character falling into a coma after an allergic reaction, a shamanic ritual involving mushrooms, several moments of crowd menace, and a threatened execution by burning, all presented in a highly stylized and unrealistic way. The overall intensity stays moderate because the film relies on irony, caricature, and cartoon logic rather than sustained fear, yet some younger children may still react to the idea of a child becoming unconscious or to the father's emotionally detached response. For many children around 7 or 8, the content is likely manageable if they already enjoy slightly edgy animated adventures, while very young viewers may be more confused than truly scared. Parents can help by framing the film as broad satire, and by briefly explaining that the coma, ritual scenes, and angry mob imagery are exaggerated comic devices rather than realistic danger.
Synopsis
In a prehistory for operettas that is seemingly doomed never to evolve, a conflicted father and daughter disrupt the Stone Age routine. After a tragic-comedy round-trip to the future, they accidentally bring back an Ikea “bent key”, which will at last trigger Evolution, for better or for worse… Writing, religion, politics… who will be capable of putting an end to these disasters?
Difficult scenes
Early in the story, Web wants to go out to a very exclusive nightlife spot and eventually sneaks out. Once there, she has an allergic reaction to lichen and falls into a coma, which may worry young children even though the scene is handled in a comic and unrealistic way. The emotional mismatch is heightened by her father's deliberately cold reaction, which can feel unsettling to children expecting a comforting parental response. In an attempt to reach her, Blog visits a shaman who performs a ritual involving chanting, movement, and mushroom chewing. The sequence is not presented like realistic drug use, yet it still shows an altered state of consciousness in a strange atmosphere, which may confuse younger viewers or prompt questions from parents. When the object brought back from the future starts changing the valley, the film shows increasingly fanatical collective behavior and an angry crowd. This section includes a strong threat of punishment, with the idea that characters could be burned at the stake, although the tone remains satirical and there is no graphic violence. Several scenes use broad social and political satire, with religion, ideology, and mob behavior played for irony. Younger children may not understand the references, but they can still pick up on the agitation, arguments, and crowd pressure, which may feel intense even without realistic danger.