‘Down Under’ six feet of earth

Animal Kingdom

“You’ve done some bad things, haven’t you sweetie?” gently reminds the matriarch of the Melbourne-based Cody crime family. It’s a moment of true wonder, as Janine “Smurf” Cody (Weaver) calmly manipulates her way into the minds of everyone around her without a flinch. She casually smiles away, putting on that brave face, pretending nothing will ever go wrong in her life with her three criminal sons: Andrew “Pope” Cody (Mendelsohn), Craig Cody (Stapleton), and Darren Cody (Ford).

Joshua “J” Cody’s (Frencheville) mother was far from perfect – but even she had enough sense in her to keep her only son away from her own mother and siblings who are constantly up to no good and are in trouble with the law. But after she dies of a heroin overdose, the 17 year-old J is left with no choice but to join the relatives he hasn’t seen for a long time. The oldest, Andrew, is in hiding with ties to armed robbery, Craig is dealing drugs with a dirty cop, and Darren is doing whatever his brothers tell him to do. Over the period of less than a single day, J has quite suddenly been thrown into a world he knows very little about.

Blood is spilled and loyalties are tested. As Leckie (Pearce), a smart detective leading the police investigation, starts closing in on the various members of the Cody family, the role of the newcomer becomes that much more crucial. J is asked to steal a car to be used as a setup for murdering two police officers. J’s dedication to his family is constantly challenged, even more so when Leckie starts targeting the newbie of the family for information. He is under the watchful eye of Janine, his scary grandmother who turns a blind-eye to all of her sons’ criminal activities whilst she looks to gain as much benefit from them as possible. She is financially sorted for life, as long as her sons, who mostly obey her in ways no grown-up sons would ever do, keep bringing in the cash.

Animal Kingdom is not just a good “Australian” film. It’s an absolutely phenomenal crime drama that is surely in league with similar themed films that are considered great in American cinema. The intimate family dynamic is looked at with so much focus and tension that every time a character even blinks, the audience is brought to the edge of their seats. Since several important characters have such volatile minds and vastly different goals, you have no idea just where this film will take you, and every interaction with key family members is absolutely crucial to the plot development. It’s a compelling watch, and superbly paced, with director David Michôd having the confidence to take his time in extending various scenes to create as much suspense as possible. A lot of the scenes are quiet, restrained, but hugely effective in building up the gritty, morally corrupt underground network of criminals.

In portraying this great tragedy which chronicles the conflict and eventual fall of the proud family, the exceptional actors do an admirable job. Frencheville, in his debut performance, adds a surprising amount of layers and depth to his character. He’s not someone to warm up to right away, since he is mostly very distant and awkward around the “new” members of his family but as events unfold and he travels deeper into the criminal activities of this one family, his inner battle and wake of conscience is shown subtly. Of the three criminal brothers, Meldelsohn, playing the eldest, gives the most frightening performance. Something isn’t quite right with this guy; he comes off as psychotically detached and it is unsettling to see the brilliant Mendelsohn in so many scenes. But since he is one of the major characters of the film, we’ll just have to settle with being afraid of him throughout.

The true revelation here however, is Weaver, who has been the talk of Hollywood for nabbing a surprise Oscar nomination. She shows her love can be limitless – when she decides to share it that is – but can also be taken away in a heart-beat, as soon as she senses imminent danger or threat to her little empire. She is the monstrous female in the background, pulling the strings behind the scenes, so everything can work to her advantage. Her words are piercing enough to get under your skin, but she delivers them with such calmness that her detachment alone is enough to give you shivers.

It’s encouraging to see something from Australia is getting its much-deserved international recognition. It won’t have a huge sales impact, but for those of you seeking a taut, finely written, confident and brilliantly performed crime drama, this is no doubt on the same standard as the more flashy, high-budget U.S. thrillers.