"I don't want you waking up years from now and wondering what could have happened, or what you could have been."
The further we go into 2018 the more it becomes obvious that
this year’s Sundance Film Festival was exceptionally strong. Having given
platforms to great talents making their first foray into directing like Boots
Riley’s ‘Sorry to Bother You’, Ari Aster’s ‘Hereditary’, Jenifer Fox’s ‘The
Tale’ and Bo Burnham’s ‘Eighth Grade’, (very likely to be more as well which
have yet to see) all of which have made a significant mark on the indie scene
and even reached into the mainstream consciousness in some small way. You can
add another entry to that list in the form of Bart Layton’s ‘American Animals.
In 2004 Spencer Reinhard’s (Barry Keoghan) interest is
peaked by a valuable collection of books held in the library within
Transylvania University which he attends. As he and his friend Warren Lipka
(Evan Peters) jokingly flaunt the idea of stealing them, they soon find their
hypothetical plan shaping into a reality. Along with two other collaborators
they partake in one of the strangest and most paradoxical heists in recent
American history.
There are so many points within ‘American Animals’ where
director Bart Layton could have fallen into the trap of letting his
storytelling devices compensate for a lack of substance. It could have strayed
into an area which would feel more like a gimmick than a motivated choice. But
consistently and repeatedly Layton bestows his film with added gravitas and
emotional depth that make the stylistic tendencies all the more involving. ‘American
Animals’ is a fresh take on the heist film that worships the conventions of the
genre just as much as it flies in the face of established rules.
So much within ‘American Animals’ rests on blurring the
lines between truth and fiction, not just stylistically but thematically as
well. For the first half of the film its subjects toy with the idea of a heist
as a means to invigorate their lives, playing with it and planning it from
purely a fictional standpoint. The second half of the film then slowly lures
the audience and the characters into an awareness that the reality of the
situation is inescapable. Moments that other heist movies breeze past are
treated as major obstacles in ‘American Animals’ because in reality that is
exactly what they are.
Layton’s visual language is so dynamic and engaging that it circumnavigates
the fact that the film essentially gives away the broader outcome of the heist
from the start. Though there are still plenty of details and nuances that
remain hidden, ‘American Animals’ gives you an indication of where it’s
characters will inevitably end up. Ultimately that works in the story’s favour
in terms of gravitas. Watching the heist through its stages elicits a sense of
dread as the audience become more aware of just how the plan will unfold. So
rather than come across as predictable, Layton’s directorial devices draw the
viewer deeper into the momentary action while his storytelling choices make the
film more thematically fulfilling.
‘American Animals’ does not truly give an explanation to the
actions or motivations of its characters on any specific level, which can be
somewhat unsatisfying for those looking for clear depth but once again this
irregularity within its storytelling works in the film’s favour. It cannot
explain the motivations of the characters because ultimately they themselves
don’t even know. They have a broad sense of emptiness in their lives and a need
to accomplish something by any costs. Which the film both sympathises with and
condemns. There are many wide and empty shots that frame these young men as individuals
desperately seeking purpose, which is effective in its own right. But at the
same time Layton fills his film with heavy and haunting moments that allow the
true damage of what these people are partaking in to really hit home for them
and the viewer.
Transitioning from an unassuming university student to a
group of criminals is a substantial jump, and it would be easy to make it
appear jarring if done without nuance and conviction. But the impressive cast
of ‘American Animals’ lead with perfect trepidation. Peters and Keoghan move
forward from scene to scene with a great sense of placement in the broader
story, communicating the very gradual development that their characters make
from playfully hypothesising a robbery to carrying it out in its full extent. Much
like the screenplay they reconcile the conflicting attitudes an audience will
feel towards the main characters, showcasing some signs of empathy and moving
slowly towards condemnation. By the time the third act of ‘American Animals’ is
in motion the characters are both in way over their heads but also tragic
figures of their own making. It’s a balance that is difficult to convey with
clarity but the young cast do so excellently.
Slick and stylish at times but heavy and horrifying at
others, ‘American Animals’ is a brilliantly original take on the heist movie
formula.
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