Movie spotlight
ANIMAL CONDENSED>>ANIMAL EXPANDED#2
The director couldn’t have anticipated the coronavirus epidemic, but here is a near-future world in which a middle-class protagonist lives indoors, congratulating himself on the economic virtues of having ingested ‘animal condensed’ – an unexplained substance that seems to merge human and animal – and its benefits to his comfortably alienated life. “It optimises, it abstracts… it made us safe, here at home, with our accelerated portfolios”, he explains. Upstairs, his daughter virtually reconfigures Peppa Pig. Outside, meanwhile, hiding in the forest, is an unnamed, camouflaged fugitive, who explains her escape from a society that seems to have happily abolished the distinction between organic and technological life. An artist who has become a guerrilla fighter, the woman is busy preparing totem-like countermeasures to disrupt those who have become ‘animal expanded’.
Insights
Plot Summary
In suburban Melbourne, a seventeen-year-old boy goes to live with his estranged grandmother and three uncles after his mother dies from a drug overdose. He quickly becomes entangled in his uncles' criminal activities, particularly their violent conflict with the police.
Critical Reception
Animal Kingdom received widespread critical acclaim for its tense atmosphere, strong performances (especially from Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver), and gritty realism. It was lauded as a powerful and disturbing portrayal of a criminal family.
What Reviewers Say
Praised for its compelling, character-driven narrative.
Lauded for the intense and often unsettling performances.
Noted for its unflinching look at a criminal family and its destructive dynamics.
Google audience: Audiences generally praised the film's intense atmosphere and strong acting, with many finding it a gripping and well-made crime drama.
Awards & Accolades
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress (Jacki Weaver), and won numerous Australian Film Institute Awards.
Fun Fact
The character of 'Smurf' Cody, played by Jacki Weaver, was originally conceived as a male character but was rewritten as female, significantly altering the family dynamics and contributing to the film's unique tension.
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