American Animals is an incredibly smart take on perception and what it means to truthfully recount and tell a story as it happened. In this fact-based experimental film, we follow four young college students who plan to steal a collection of incredibly rare books. Bart Layton, coming off the acclaim received from his documentary, The Imposter brings us an in-depth take on a true-crime committed by these seemingly normal and well-educated young adults.
The words, “This is not a true story” open the film to the spectator’s shock as it is not the norm, only to retract the word “not”. From the very start, the attention to detail is evident with a clever script from Layton, who incorporates documentary with ‘fictional’ story, creating an experimental new idea of what film is. Similar to the recent I, Tonya, the film combines interviews with the narrative yet it at no point holds back from re-treading and suggesting, this could not be true. The idea of perception is crucial to the core of the film; there is ‘real life truth’ colliding with conflicting stories from the various criminals who are featured throughout the film alongside their fictional counterparts, mainly playing out the perspective of Warren (Evan Peters) or Spencer (Barry Keoghan).
The film is about a so-called ‘lost generation’ who once imagined they would do or be something special and this was their time to be special.
However, the reality was that they weren’t anything special nor were they especially smart. The film’s form and narrative style is what truly leaps out, referencing films like Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs where the heist also goes wrong and both films focus on the before and after. Layton even goes as far as naming each character who takes part in the crime a colour, exactly like Reservoir Dogs, as they look for inspiration for how to commit this crime. But on a greater level, American Animals’ narrative is non-linear, we begin near the end and flashback to 18 months prior, in order to understand the motivations of characters – this narrative technique helps build suspense as we eagerly await the crime. In the end American Animals is really a character piece about the psychological aspects of what it’s like to commit a crime and it focuses on the resulting effects, intertwining the real-life aspect of this film.
The most notable aspect, bar the narrative, is the visual flair Layton presents, using multiple whip-pans, zooms and handhelds, the film has a true sense of urgency and pace that has been created extremely successfully in the editing suite. The way the camera is used is rather fascinating as the film uses focus and angles in such a way that it creates false perceptions. For example, the scene where they plan the crime, it includes just the two original young men and Ann Dowd’s librarian, cutting from low and high angles, creating a somewhat ultra-realistic dance number as they run through their plan.
However, when it all comes down to it, the ensemble cast is the true soul of the film – Evan Peters puts on an incredible, unsettling performance as Warren, alongside Barry Keoghan who delivers an excellent performance in the lead role.
Furthermore, Ann Dowd, coming off of her terrifying performance in Hereditary, puts on a standout performance as the slightly odd librarian. As a whole, the film delivers experimental dramatic quality and, from the very start, you know you are in the hands of an upcoming master-director with a clear vision. The film has a truly emotional punch, portrayed through interviews: it’s about the toll crime takes on the mind, and suggests whether redemption is deserved or not it’s down to you.
4.5/5 Stars
By Ben Rolph