''Animals'' is a 2014 American
romantic drama
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
film written by
David Dastmalchian
David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Universe ...
and directed by
Collin Schiffli
Collin Graham Schiffli is an American film director, producer and editor. He has directed the independent films ''Animals (2014 film), Animals'', ''All Creatures Here Below'' and ''Die in a Gunfight''.
Early life
Schiffli was born in Fort Way ...
. The film stars Dastmalchian and
Kim Shaw
Kim Shaw (born May 20, 1984) is a Canadian-born American actress.
Early life and education
Shaw grew up in Miami and Longwood, Florida. After graduating from Lake Brantley High School, Shaw moved to New York City to attend the American Academy ...
as a couple living in a broken car who scam strangers to support their
heroin addict
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. O ...
ion. When their misadventures turn from bad to worse, the young lovers must decide if true love can prevail in the face of all else.
Plot
A college-educated,
middle-class young man named Jude (
David Dastmalchian
David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Universe ...
) and his girlfriend Bobbie (
Kim Shaw
Kim Shaw (born May 20, 1984) is a Canadian-born American actress.
Early life and education
Shaw grew up in Miami and Longwood, Florida. After graduating from Lake Brantley High School, Shaw moved to New York City to attend the American Academy ...
) exist somewhere between homelessness and fantasy. Both struggle with and enable each other's
heroin addict
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. O ...
ion, spending most of their time trying to score drugs. Sleeping in their dilapidated car or seedy
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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motel rooms, they survive by shoplifting and committing low-level scams to scrounge up enough cash to stay one step ahead of their debilitating addiction. As the couple's plight becomes increasingly dire, they are ultimately forced to face the reality of their situation. Jude is involuntarily admitted into a mental hospital to
detox
Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...
, leaving Bobbie to fend for herself through her
withdrawal symptoms
Drug withdrawal, drug withdrawal syndrome, or substance withdrawal syndrome, is the group of symptoms that occur upon the abrupt discontinuation or decrease in the intake of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs.
In order for the symptoms of wit ...
.
Unable to see Jude, Bobbie starts sleeping in the parking lot of Jude's hospital. She is quickly discovered by hospital security guard Albert (
John Heard), who befriends her. Her initial plan is to wait for Jude to be released from the hospital so that they can be reunited, but Albert's earlier suggestion for Bobbie to call her mother for help eventually convinces her to do that instead. She makes arrangements to go back home, knowing she and Jude may be separated forever.
Jude is eventually about to be discharged, and the hospital finally allows Bobbie visitation. They embrace while Bobbie explains to Jude that her intention is to stay with her mother and intermittently drug-abusing stepfather (who is also a doctor) in
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, and that her mother directly stated that Jude cannot join them. Jude and Bobbie find themselves at a crossroads, and decide to part ways hoping to stay drug-free.
Cast
*
David Dastmalchian
David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Universe ...
as Jude
*
Kim Shaw
Kim Shaw (born May 20, 1984) is a Canadian-born American actress.
Early life and education
Shaw grew up in Miami and Longwood, Florida. After graduating from Lake Brantley High School, Shaw moved to New York City to attend the American Academy ...
as Bobbie
*
John Heard as Albert
*
John Hoogenakker
John Hoogenakker () is an American stage, screen and commercial actor. On stage, he has been in a number of plays in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. He played the Bud Light King in Bud Light's Dilly Dilly television commercials. He played Lt. S ...
as Guy
* Ilyssa Fradin as Brenda
* Anish Jethmalani as Doctor Ahmed
* John Lister IV as Norman
* Paul Perroni as Undercover Cop 1
* Simeon Henderson as Undercover Cop 2
Reception
Critical response
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 7.03. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Animals'' drug-fueled storyline is undeniably grim, but its sensitive approach to its difficult themes -- and its talented cast -- make watching it well worth the discomfort."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a
weighted average
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".
Joe Leydon
Joseph Patrick Michael Leydon (born August 22, 1952) is an American film critic and historian. A critic and correspondent for ''Variety'' since 1990, he is the author of ''Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See'' (Michael Wiese Prod ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote, "Dastmalchian and Shaw are thoroughly convincing both as vividly drawn, emotionally complex individuals, and as a couple inextricably bound by addiction and enabling. Among the well-cast supporting players, John Heard makes the most significant impact by making every second count in his brief role as a sympathetic security guard." Steve Dollar of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' wrote, "Director Collin Schiffli keeps a tight focus on character, as the couple's plight becomes increasingly dire." Sheila O'Malley of ''
RogerEbert.com'' wrote, "Such small moments (and there are many in the film) help make what is a typical story memorable and somewhat unique. It's not a particularly interesting relationship because drug addicts tend to be boring, but it is a pleasure to watch both of these actors work."
Accolades
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=tt3297554
2014 drama films
2014 films
Films about heroin addiction
2010s English-language films