CFF Review: Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s ‘Teddy’

Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s “Teddy” coming of age tale that’s really about the trials and tribulations of being a teenage boy, but cleverly framed around a rural French town dealing with a series of farm animal attacks that rumor has was a werewolf’s doing. The meat of the movie is a character-driven teen dramedy, but with an ominous turn of events shortly into the film that snowball for the rest of the it’s runtime before coming to a bloody, emotionally charged end.

Expectations could cause your mileage to vary with this movie, because it’s not nearly as much of a straightforward werewolf movie as it wants you to think it is. This very much works in the movie’s favor, as the characters are what you cling to and you’re given plenty of defining moments with each of them. The performances are good across the board, and someone will surely feel relatable to you in one way or another. There’s also some unique musical choices that add a lot of depth and even a touch of irony to some of the situations in addition to beautifully framed, clean camera movements from start to finish.

There’s still plenty of bloodshed and solid effects, especially in the second half, so don’t expect a complete lack of splatter if that’s what you’re looking for. There’s even a scene that has massive “Carrie” vibes which was both unexpected and totally awesome to behold. Though the horror is definitely not the main draw like you’d expect from a werewolf movie, as the dramatic angle takes center stage here, this is a polished and unique entry into the genre that I highly recommend. You can howl about this one yourself after checking it out on Shudder or AMC+, where it’s available to stream now.