165 - Animals

There's a remarkable female gaze in Animals, Sophie Hyde's adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth's novel, and a wonderful sense of insightful observation in the world occupied by and behaviours of the two friends whose stories it tells. Mike, who'd been anticipating it keenly since seeing the trailer, feels a little shortchanged by the triteness of the larger themes on which the film builds and the relative lack of excitement in comparison to what the trailer conveyed. José shares a little of that feeling but is keen to express his pleasure at seeing a film so confidently and originally expressive of a female perspective, particularly in its sex scenes. And we both adore the stars, Alia Shawkat for her fabulously performative comic theatrics, and especially Holliday Grainger for her extraordinary, sensitive, soulful expression of a girl falling in and out of love and friendship and upset with her own failings. Animals is a film that explodes with creativity and expressiveness in the details, but whose big picture leaves us wanting. Recorded on 19th August 2019.