Mubi Monday: Animals (2019)

When I saw that Alia Shawkat was one of the leads in Animals then I knew I had to watch it as soon as possible. It turns out that Holliday Grainger is an equally good lead performer, which made this even more enjoyable than I expected it to be.

Based on the novel by Emma Jane Unsworth, Animals is the tale of two close friends who seem to spend their time drinking, amusing one another, and keeping a distance from others they can then safely mock without pangs of painful self-awareness. Shawkat is Tyler, a superb and fierce force to be reckoned with. Normality and social norms are obstacles to be faced and overcome. Grainger is Laura, a writer who seems to be stuck on the actual writing part. She takes many notes, but hasn't put anything down that even comes close to resembling the start of her debut novel. Things start to change when Laura meets Jim (Fra Fee), a pianist who is happy to live a fairly normal life in between his times impressing people with his piano-playing prowess.

Having only seen one other film directed by Sophie Hyde (Good Luck To You, Leo Grande), and nothing else yet written by Unsworth, I was drawn to this by the cast alone. They are fantastic, but there's an energy and truth to the writing that makes me keen to try other material written by Unsworth. She may still need a good enough cast to help get everything successfully from page to screen, but the characters and observations are so well-crafted here that I wanted to spend more time exploring them all. I hope I can find similar satisfaction in other Unsworth projects.

Aside from Shawkat and Grainger, because I think I've made my views on their acting skills quite clear already, there's a solid turn from Fee as the pianist who forces one of the main characters to start re-evaluating and reframing their approach to life. Dermot Murphy also does a good job portraying Marty, a poet who somehow lives his authentic life without any of the self-doubt or guilt that Laura has, reflecting her own faultlines and insecurities back at her as she finds herself at an unexpected crossroads in her life.

Not only does Animals look at the struggle of those wanting to spend their lives being creative artists, it also highlights the chasm that exists between the self-belief of men and women, with the former generally benefiting from a history of not being told that they should give up on their dreams to settle down, marry, and have children. The main characters here might seem selfish and irritating at times, but being selfish and irritating is sometimes what it takes to do whatever your real passion is. And women get far fewer opportunities to try taking that demanding journey than men. That might not be the point of Animals, especially when one scene has characters actually discussing the priorities that animals need in their lives, but I suspect that it's definitely one of the main ingredients helping to make the final dish what it is.

8/10

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The Riot Club (2014)

The Riot Club is a film designed to paint the upper-classes at their very worst. It's interesting, although far too simplistic at times, and it's one that should start some interesting conversations after the credits have rolled.

Max Irons plays Miles Richards, one of the new boys starting his time at Oxford University. He's a posh lad, but one with a good heart. That's shown by how quickly he develops a relationship with Lauren (Holliday Grainger), a girl who isn't from any of the big schools. When Miles is invited to join The Riot Club he thinks that he's about to make some good connections, occasionally drink to excess, and generally have some fun in between studies. He soon starts to view the club differently during a grand meal that shows the members at their very worst.

Written by Laura Wade, who adapts her play "Posh" for the big screen, The Riot Club isn't exactly predictable at every turn, but viewers are usually able to realise what's coming in the next few scenes. That's okay though, this is not a film wanting to surprise you. It's one that uses your possible perceptions and prejudices of "the 1%" to give you a slick thriller that reinforces everything you think they get up to anyway.

Director Lone Scherfig has been doing solid work for a good few years now (I highly recommend both Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself and An Education) and this is another success, even if it's lacking in comparison to many of her past works. The pacing is almost perfect, the mix of characters helps to make everything that bit more palatable, and the ending is . . . . . . well, you'll have to wait and see.

Irons is good as the lead. He's believably earnest, and easy to root for, even as he's drawn further and further towards a very bad place. Grainger is even more likable, thanks to her dismissal of the snobbery around her, and Jessica Brown Finlay and Natalie Dormer both do well in smaller, but no less crucial, roles. Tom Hollander makes an impact with only one or two scenes to work with, and the actual members of the riot club range from the unmemorable (Olly Alexander and one or two others) to the memorable-for-all-the-wrong-reasons (Douglas Booth and Sam Claflin). Despite the fact that some don't make as strong an impression, everyone feels just right in their respective roles.

There are times when the film tries to make the lifestyles of the rich and wannabe-infamous seem enticing, putting viewers in a place that allows the characters to almost speak directly to them when they claim that the have-nots are just jealous of their riches and accessories. That's the main area in which the film stumbles. When it aims just for slick thrills, however, it quickly gets back on track.

7/10

UK is the main market for the disc just now - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riot-Club-Blu-ray-Natalie-Dormer/dp/B00NAWK9F6/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420304607&sr=8-1&keywords=the+riot+club

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