Directed by David Michôd. Starring James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, and Joel Edgerton.
83rd Oscars - 1 Nomination: Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
This film is a very interesting portrait of an untraditional family in Australia. The main character, played by a newcomer actor with remarkable stoicism, moves in with his criminal uncles and saccharine grandmother after his mother overdoses. He is instantly submerged in the world of cops and robbers -- where both sides seem equally lost and lawless. The name is fitting, as I reflect on the film, as a kind of animal madness and violence seems to have taken over the lives of these characters. There is an mafia undertone to the twangy Australian accents as the world seems governed, above all else, by loyalty to one's family. Guy Pearce, the only really well known face in the movie, plays a solemn detective trying to make sense of the whole thing and help the main young boy. I certainly would not have seen Animal Kingdom had it not shown up on the Oscar list, but it was a film that pulled me in, to say the least.
Of course, as she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress category, one must consider Jacki Weaver's performance as the grandmother with extra care. It's hard to know what to make of this character. There's something extra creepy about her, from the way she relates to her sons (often kissing them on the lips for a tad too long, as an example) to her overall too-perky demeanor. Yes, she steals scenes. However, I would wager that there is one scene alone that earned her a nomination. Near the end of the film, (not spoiling too much), when her boys are in prison, she must take over and set things right. She effortlessly talks someone into helping her (aka blackmails/threatens them), but in the most insanely evil, saccharine way possible. This scene simply leaves you saying, "whoa," and though it is such a fragment of the film, the idea that this side of the grandmother has been there all along, below the surface, makes it an impressive performance.
I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see this film, but if you like the gangster genre (particularly a different take on the classical mafia films), I would advise you to check it out.
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