‘Ferine’ Review: Andrea Corsini Introduces Himself as the Next Truly Terrifying Italian Auteur to Watch

Breath catches for all sorts of reasons. The pull of a trigger. The promise of sex. The sudden sight of a dish so delicious — or grotesque — the body briefly forgets its need for oxygen.

Many of Italy’s greatest artists understand these sensations belong to the same family, and with his astonishing feature debut, “Ferine,” Andrea Corsini proves himself a terrifying new heir to that tradition in cinema. From Dario Argento to Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci, Italy’s most infamous horror directors are responsible for nightmares as rapturous as they are confusing.

Painterly compositions, operatic violence, and surreal emotional logic overwhelm the audience in twisted worlds that overwhelm first and explain second. Intoxicating as it is visually savage, “Ferine” embraces that philosophy with striking confidence as Corsini boldly invites the audience to stalk the truth alongside him — ultimately, trusting they’ll appreciate the hunt as much as the kill.

That trust begins with one of the most devastating inciting incidents in recent genre memory. Irene (Carolyn Bracken, “Oddity”) is a successful modern artist reeling from a series of miscarriages when she gets another chance at motherhood through a private adoption. When that fragile future is suddenly thrown into jeopardy by the birth mother expressing regrets, both Irene and the baby flee into the night.

At the exact same time, an escaped jaguar, recently broken free from an exotic animal collector’s transport vehicle, wanders onto the dark road. Their paths soon collide in an act of cruelty so breathtaking that it permanently alters the contract between Corsini and his audience. The tragedy is so mind-bendingly awful that, at the Fantasia premiere of “Ferine,” viewers broke into cathartic applause at the sight of Corsini’s name on a significantly delayed title card.

The gruesome tragedy transforms every scene that follows, and as Irene’s trauma mutates into something primal, what begins as a portrait of impossible loss reveals itself as a visceral examination of survival itself. Scary movies ask audiences to sympathize with killers more than you’d think, but few earn compassion with such conviction. Nearly everything Irene does here is monstrous, and yet Corsini never stops encouraging viewers to search for the heartbroken woman suddenly obscured by a wild avatar of self-protection.

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Managed by a lesser filmmaker, “Ferine” might crumble under the weight of its own extremity — or look a little too much like Julia Ducournau’s vet-tech vegan horror “Raw.” Yet Corsini transforms his shocking premise into a beastly and beautiful character study, one that’s smartly supported by a mostly Italian ensemble and truly revelatory second antagonist.

A black market sportsman almost always seen carrying a cattle prod or gun, Dama (Caroline Goodall, “Schindler’s List”) will spend the rest of the movie tracking down the hell she unleashed. By the time the two women finally do collide — surreptitiously brought together by Irene’s friend from the maternity clinic, Rosa (Paola Lavini), and an adorable little girl with demons of her own named Giulia (Elisabetta Caccamo) — it’s impossible to tell which is the apex predator.

Even as Irene’s behavior grows increasingly inhuman, every move she makes is tethered to an absence so profound they evoke not just understanding but admiration. And Bracken is extraordinary, of course.

Rather than playing Irene as someone descending into madness, the actress embodies a woman whose inconsolable mourning was so painful it turned physical. An animalistic sense of intimidation coils beneath each gesture as Bracken offers a remarkable follow-up to her breakout role as a stern clairvoyant. Here, she continues polishing her knack for passion and irony with a nimble performance that’s always a few steps ahead.

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Meanwhile, despite far less screen time than you’d expect, Goodall obliterates any lingering memories of her gentler turns in “Schindler’s List” and “Hook.” Dama’s reckless obsession with feral beauty is matched only by her own sadism, a combination Goodall plays with such unnerving intensity that every beat she’s in feels dangerous. Delivering even a throwaway line like, “Are you dumb?” with the clipped condescension of an overworked dog trainer, the British-Australian actress proves so magnetic that Corsini would be wise to cast her again.

That complexity extends to the rest of Corsini’s narrative hunting ground, too. From the art collectors Irene knows, to the various adults embroiled in Giulia’s custody battle, practically everyone in “Ferine” is defined by what they pursue, possess, and refuse to let go. The already wire-thin line between mother and owner threatens to snap as the saga rages on, and still, Corsini calmly invites you to circle his story’s chaotic cage from every possible angle.

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Like a proud zookeeper showing off the rarest specimen in his collection, Corsini rarely tries the same trick twice. Some of his earlier frights land with blunt force, but the rest come with cathartic revelations that hinge on “Ferine” subtly dissecting how its own anatomy comes together in real time. Grotesque body horror gives way to gallows humor, and inspired edits — like a jump cut revealing Irene, bloodied and draped across a stone wall in her brutalist backyard — that prompt the kind of back-of-the-throat giggle that says both, “I’m having a great time,” and, “Oh, this movie is so, so fucked up.”

Even when Corsini occasionally trusts his audience a little too much, breezing past visual clues that are easy to miss while lingering too long on a second-act monologue about the purpose of art, that confidence is largely earned. You don’t need to know the legacy of legendary composer Pino Donaggio or cinematographer Fabrizio La Palombara to recognize that “Ferine” looks and sounds exquisite. It’s easy to recognize the intuition of a filmmaker who refuses to tame either his characters or audience, instead allowing both to sniff his creative hand like demons in heat.

But once you’re by his side, Corsini’s first feature demands its audience stay alert, follow every track, and trust his instinct. In a genre so popular that horror can feel crowded even on an international level, that’s a refreshing expectation and proof that “Ferine” is only the beginning for an artist who deserves even more creative freedom. Sure, it’s a rough watch, but he’ll let you go soon enough. Just… remember to breathe.

Grade: A-

“Ferine” had its international premiere at Fantasia Festival on July 23. It is seeking international distribution through PiperPlay.

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