Animals (2014)

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The film opens letting us know the joys of living in an Oldsmobile with no job or healthcare. Jude (David Dastmalchian) and Bobbie (Kim Shaw) survive and support their methadone habit through shop lifting and scamming in Chicago. They dream of living in an apartment and going for a swim. The film follows their minor ups and bigger downs as they move to a point where they need intervention.The film is a slow moving drama that creates two characters who can carry the entire film. Our modern low level Bonnie and Clyde with a drug habit are interesting to watch as they take pleasure in simple joys we take for granted.Guide: F-bomb. Brief Nudity.

A drama about the relationship of a young couple, Jude and Bobbie, who live in their car and support their drug habit in a matter-of- fact way through shoplifting and scams, until their situation turns sufficiently sour for them to re-evaluate. It sounds bleak, but there's enough humanity and compassion shown to carry it through so we don't give up on them.There are fantastic performances from the leads, writer/producer David Dastmalchian and Kim Shaw, who convince as a couple who care deeply for each other despite the occasional flashes of selfishness that ring true as symptoms of addiction. The supporting cast are all good too, including John Heard in a small but significant role as a security guard.Director/producer Collin Schiffli and DP Larkin Donley also do great jobs. I loved an early transition from a view out from an apartment window to the reality of the car windshield. Be warned, there are graphic images of drug use, including injecting into the neck and groin, and a desperate moment on a filthy bathroom floor that made me wince.

The woes of a young couple addicted to cocaine and drifting through a homeless existence in Chicago may not sound like an enticing piece of entertainment. In fact, it threatens to be one of those earnest but dreary "social problems" dramas you might go to only out of a vague sense of obligation. And the title, "Animals," doesn't help matters.Surprisingly, and pleasingly, "Animals" proves to be not only a movie that's "good for you" but also a movie which engrosses and entertains in an easy manner which seems deceptively effortless. Much of this credit goes to the two leads, David Dastmalchian and Kim Shaw, and to the script (by Dastmalchian) which shows us the various ways these two survive through guile and petty crime. You don't approve of what they do and you certainly don't envy their lives and yet they retain a likable quality and don't seem to be that far removed from our own selves.Each of the supporting characters is well-cast and effective.Those seeking a movie which veers from the usual multiplex offerings would be well-advised to consider "Animals."

As far as heroin addiction movies go this is far more similar to 'Candy' than Requiem for a Dream or Trainspotting as it follows the romance between two lovers who have fallen into the depths of addiction.I had rather high hopes for this movie but felt it falling short compared to other romantic junkie flicks like Candy as the movie is a 'character piece' exploring the couples daily struggles rather than having a strong plot/storyline. I normally love explorative character movies but these particular addicts just weren't particually interesting and I felt the dialog fell a little flat. Either the movie could of done with an extra half an hour of dialog or more of a story/obstacle for the protagonists to overcome.If you enjoy films on addiction then you will probably enjoy this one but just go in knowing its not up to the standard of Candy or Trainspotting as neither the characters or plot are quite as deep.I can only imagine the novel is far better as it would give the writer far more time to explore the highs and lows of addiction as well as drawing the viewer into caring more for the characters involved.Overall I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.