Henry Saw: Animal Kingdom

There's a lot of cool stuff coming out of Australia these days...


Earlier this year I reviewed an awesome little neo-noir out of Australia called The Square. It was a taut, shockingly funny, and an expertly paced thriller. I was very impressed. I have since learned that The Square was released by a production company called Blue-Tongue Films which was responsible for such short films as Spider (linked in my review of The Square), the popular I Love Sara Jane (featuring a young Mia Wasikowska):



And the Oscar nominated film Miracle Fish.

Animal Kingdom, the latest film import from Australia to hit U.S. screens, is not technically a Blue-Tongue production (though they are mentioned in the credits) but does involve much of the same cast and crew as The Square and those shorts. Written and directed by David Michôd, who wrote I Love Sarah Jane and directed the award winning Crossbow, Animal Kingdom is one of the best crime films to come out in years.

The movie follows a 17 year old boy named Josh who's mother dies of a heroin overdose. Josh goes to live with his grandmother and subsequently becomes involved with his three uncles' criminal activity. Following the murder of their best friend, Josh's three uncles become embittered and paranoid, and Josh realizes just how far his family is willing to go.



This is not a "fun" film. Animal Kingdom, outside of a few awkward moments, lacks a sense of humor. This is a serious movie about seriously disturbed people. Animal Kingdom manages to cover a wide range of subjects and themes, for instance the camera seems to be running too early, or cut too late, so as to uncover the supporting characters' lives and paint the entire world the film.

The film's cast is solid all around, with the wicked Jacki Weaver as the mother of the gang and Ben Mendelsohn as the scariest brother Pope, as the two standouts. The main character Josh, who is played by newcomer James Frecheville, is relatively charmless but that is a conscious choice by Michôd to show how young, damaged, and overwhelmed "J" is.



Like The Square, the movie is filled with genuinely shocking moments, but has a much darker and more artful tone. There is less irony in the violence here, an in a strange way less cynicsym, but offers just as bleak at look at human nature. Only Guy Pierce's character offers any kind of morality in the film and, in the end, he too is beaten down by the nature of his profession.

A fantastic film, a must see, and deserves to have its name mentioned a lot during awards season...

Grade: A-

Best Scene: When we see just how far Mother Cody is willing to go to protect her sons...