There are many generic thriller conventions within this film, the use of lighting is particularly interesting as many thrillers use noir, chiaroscuro or dim lighting yet Animal Kingdom is filmed with non-ambient bright lighting as lots of the film is based within a house. The film also uses non-ambient lighting as there is lots of filming done in the day light, this lighting is used to help the consumer to relate with the settings and the characters.
The locations of the film are rather generic of the thriller genre; there are dimly lit streets which connote isolation and danger and wide open spaces which also convey isolation and not being able to hide, it gives a sense of insecurity and panic. The family home of the main characters is a location used throughout the film and this is not typical of the genre, it shows that corruption is everywhere even within a close family and you can trust no one. This location is used to help the audience relate to the characters as it something most people see on a daily basis (their home).
This film stands out from mainstream Hollywood films in many ways, interestingly the actors used are amateur and are not well known, this makes the acting more believable as the audience can relate to them. J did not use much dialogue as he expresses his emotions through his body language which is very effective. Also there are no extreme special effects or CGI which makes it more realistic, as if the audience were watching someone’s life rather than a film. Although this film is very visual, it has an amazing plot which has many twists and turns, it is a very unpredictable film whereas most Hollywood films I have viewed seem to be more visually based and have a very thin plot.
There were many amazingly thought out themes within the film like the extreme contrast between J’s family and his girlfriend’s, it makes us think that J is very different to his family and that he would fit in with his girlfriend’s family a lot better than he would with his own. It also shows the audience that J’s family are criminals, the scenes in their family home slightly convince the audience that they are behaving in a normal way and that being a gangster is completely acceptable but seeing another families lifestyle makes the audience realise how wrong they are.
The role of the mother in this film is very interesting as there is no father figure in the boys’ life which could be a reason for them all turning out the way they have. They have no masculine guide which makes them respect their mother even more and she is seen as a kind of ‘ queen bee’. None of her sons will do anything to hurt her and they respect her completely, this is something J is not used to as she seems to be in complete control of everything.
There were some extremely brilliant scenes reflecting some generic conventions of the genre, J’s uncle became completely unhinged and ran into the middle of the outback, he was then shot. This shot signifies the wild nature of the sons and shows that they are like animals being hunted in the wild and only the strongest will survive. This is also a link to the title of the film.
Another interesting scene was at the end of the film where J shot pope, this shows that he has overthrown the most dangerous and predatory figure in the household which immediately puts him at the top, this relates to the ‘survival of the fittest’ and also to the name of the film as it shows that he has become one of ‘the pack’.
Well done for posting your enthusiastic response to the viewing of "Animal Kingdom". Just a small point, the actors are not amateurs they're not celebrity actors. I also like the way you have identified the unpredictability of the plot and how this differs from the tired often glossy and predictable main stream films that pour out of Hollywood.
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