Animal Kingdom (2010–113 mins) J. Frecheville, G. Pierce, Jacki Weaver

This Australian indy has been getting a ton of attention for its subtle ruggedness, it’s writing, and most importantly the brilliant performance by Jacki Weaver (more on her as I explain the story a bit). There had been many who have said that this movie should have been nominated for an Oscar this year. While I thought it was a good darkhorse/unknown type movie to the mainstream, and it was a good watch, I am not sure I would put it up there with Inception and True Grit as one of the top movies of the year. It is however, a good watch and one I recommend to true fans of film and of the “gangster” genre.

Josh Cody has sucky luck in life. He has an addict for a mom, and she’s now dead. He does what he thinks is right and calls his somewhat estranged grandmother Janine (Weaver) to take him in. However, there is a good reason his mother has kept him away form the rest of the family. They are abunch of gangsters, thieves and drug dealers. Janine is the matriarch who oversees the family in more of a hands off supervisor way, letting her sons manage the business. What Josh has now is a support system that does look after him and does love him as their own, but still a surrounding system he wants basically no part of if he can avoid it.

Some of the family naturally is under constant investigation and it escalates to a head in a fashion that the family and Josh’s life will never be the same. It’s a movie that starts off REAL slow, but you just have to try and take it all in and get past it. If you can you are rewarded with a smart tale of, love, revenge nd betrayal that will keep you thinking well after you stop watching the movie. It’s got a lot of subtle charm to it and a few WTF no way! moments as well. One of the best take home charm of the movie is the role of the matriarch Janine by Weaver as stated above. This academy award nominated role (for best supporting actress) isn’t entirely out there in your face at first. But as it all goes on you see a mother who has an unnatural love of her sons and still manages to manipulates them all to her will as well. This might sound evil enough but Weaver manages to embody this part in such a way that she thoroughly deserved the nomination.

Spoilery spoiler type view on the title. I like when directors use a good thought provoking title that is somewhat explained in the movie and also keeps you thinking. In the middle at one point Detective Leckie (Pearce) in trying to get Josh to turn on his family explains how they are all just remnicant of animals in the animal kingdom. He explains how Josh might seem safe, his family won’t always be able to protect him from the animals. By the end we see the previously timid and vulnurable kid turn into  the alpha lion of the family. The survival of the fittest and “Animal Kindom” has come full circle. At first I was slightly disenchanted with the ending, not fully mind you, but slightly. But as I thought deeper about it I felt that as he was hugging his grandmother and her reluctance/ scardness of hugging back shows he has seized his control of the situation and come of age. He has freed himself of his worst threat in his uncle, and the only uncle left is the most timid and useless of the group. He’s still screwed in life b/c he’s got a useless family and the woman he loves is dead, but at least he has asserted some

Verdict—> As I said above it’s more of a genre movie and indy that fans of those types of movies will like but the mainstream movie goer might not like. IF you are more of a blockbuster only or  rom-com type then it’s not for you. However, for those others who will like it just stick with it past the first 15 to 20 mins so you can enjoy it. It’s got depth and some real life that you will like. Def worth the 1$ for film lovers.

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