Animals

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Animals

Released May 15, 2015

1h 26m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

85%

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27 Reviews

75%

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500+ Ratings

Living in their broken-down car, a young couple (David Dastmalchian, Kim Shaw) scams strangers to support their heroin addiction.

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Critics Consensus

Animals' drug-fueled storyline is undeniably grim, but its sensitive approach to its difficult themes -- and its talented cast -- make watching it well worth the discomfort.

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Steve Dollar

Wall Street Journal

Director Collin Schiffli keeps a tight focus on character, as the couple's plight becomes increasingly dire.

Nov 2, 2016

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

"Animals" is a stark, brilliant, uncompromising, beautifully acted piece of work.

May 22, 2015

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

The couple's doomed romance feels familiar from numerous other films about addiction, and the movie is downright bad whenever it aspires to visual poetry.

May 21, 2015

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Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

Animals is a tough, but poetic film. It's about two drug addicts living in a car, in love, trapped in their habits, and fighting to change their ways.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 31, 2021

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Patrick Bromley

F This Movie!

A deeply human and heartbreaking love story.

Oct 31, 2019

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Nathan Bartlebaugh

The Film Stage

It hits enough unexpected notes, both of damnation and redemption, that it stands above most of its contemporaries in the subgenre.

Rated: B

Feb 22, 2016

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Audience Member

As far as movies about drug addiction go, this one is quite a ways down the totem pole. A couple sharing needles and sharing a brain to scam people... disgusting. It is interesting to see the types of the scams run but the thin, overlying plight is nothing new, it's just another cautionary tale but with none of the impact of something like Requiem for a Dream. The moral of the story is that heroin addicts have such great stories to tell and almost all of them can be made into a major motion picture. Trainspotting it is not.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

This is underrated. It feels so genuine and authentic. I wanted to dislike this movie, but it got better and better as I watched. I wanted to turn it off, but it was too intriguing and frustrating (in a good way). It feels like a nod to so many great 70s films that I love.. mean streets, taxi driver, midnight cowboy, etc.. Amazing performances. Stick with this one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

Powerful. Excellent direction and cinematography. Chicago!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

one of the best movies I have EVER seen! I wanted to see it again, but could never find it! Now that I have, I MUST have it and see it again and again! Please!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Super sad and beautiful at the same time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

Very great indie film. While it may be true that I have seen these themes before and the ending is predictable, the topic of codependency and addiction is relevant and great acting by the two leads make it a great movie to watch. Addiction and codependency are issues the world is grappling with and the grim reality is that there are no great endings to a relationship like this. Watch a happy movie after this or eat some apple pie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Collin Schiffli

Director

David Dastmalchian

Jude

Kim Shaw

Bobbie

John Heard

Albert

John Hoogenakker

Guy

Lawrence MacGowan

Ed

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Synopsis

Living in their broken-down car, a young couple (David Dastmalchian, Kim Shaw) scams strangers to support their heroin addiction.

Director: Collin Schiffli
Producer: Mary Pat Bentel, David Dastmalchian, Joe Glass, Damon L. Marks
Screenwriter: David Dastmalchian
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 15, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.5K
Runtime: 1h 26m

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