Big Mama "Smurf" of the crime clan about to kiss her son too long....Right before we started our Movie Group screening of our most recent film, Craig, Nick, Marc and I were imagining what kind of film we would make if we had the chance. After about half an hour of watching Michod's Animal Kingdom, I claimed in despair: "After that last scene, why should I even try to dream of being a filmmaker?" In the face of such virtuosity, I am content to be a consumer of film and not a producer. It is just one of those films that show how complex and intertwined the whole filmmaking process is.
The scene in question was unremarkable in content, just a picture of the twisted family leaving a cheap restaurant together. But it was a little miracle in its form. The depth of field was unbelievably complex, with the focus bringing different characters to attention at different times. The movement, angle and tempo were just off-kilter enough that they capture your eye without drawing attention to themselves. You just can't help yourself, you have to keep looking and you want to see more.
I agree with Craig that Mendelsohn deserves more recognition for his monstrous role as the psychopathic kingpin of the dysfunctional crime family. But it is not only his acting that does it--it is the unbelievably subtle narrative (for such a violent film) that reveals the depth of his depravity bit by bit, with horrifying insights that almost go unnoticed sometimes (the intense way he peers at different members of the family, the loathing for his gone-straight brother that is re-directed immediately into rage and grief at having lost him).
This is not a heavy-handed, twisted story that beats you into submission, but a series of intricately-developed characters that are set into motion and allowed to crash into each other in ways that fascinate, repel and convince you. If you have had to watch Avatar or whatever overdetermined crap that your brother-in-law dragged you to see last week, get your hands on Animal Kingdom and let it wash away the cineplex mediocrity. But watch out--you will end up expecting so much more from other films, and they will come up short.
Thanks Nick and Craig--An excellent Movie Group night. And the food (lemon-garlic pasta with fresh tomatoes and spinach, individual form-cakes with chocolate sauce) was worthy of this film.
Can I have the recipes?
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