A review of the 2019 film “Animals”
British writer Emma Jane Unsworth wrote the screenplay for this film adaptation of her novel “Animals” which is relocated from Manchester to Dublin and examines the close but complex relationship between two best friends of a decade who live together are now in their late 20s: Irish Laura (Holliday Grainger), who aspires to be a writer but cannot start her story, and American Tyler (Alia Shawkat), who is even more unconventional and feminist.
The two young women live an hedonist lifestyle with an excess of cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs and a fair bit of sex. There is little suggestion that this lifestyle is in any way fulfilling which makes one wonder why they persist with it. But Tyler seems to have lots of money from her family and Laura apparently finds her writing voice. Australian director Sophie Hyde tries to give the movie some style and the lead actors are watchable enough, but the whole episode leaves one feeling flat.
Footnote (and – only slight – spoiler): This is the only film that I’ve seen in which a woman’s pubic hair catches fire – resulting in the wonderful line: “Sorry, girls, didn’t mean to get all holy on you with my burning bush”.