Animals
Oscilloscope Pictures | Release Date: May 15, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 21, 2015
Animals is a stark, brilliant, uncompromising, beautifully acted piece of work that deserves to be mentioned with “Panic in Needle Park” and “Requiem for a Dream” as a cautionary tale about drug addiction that doesn’t glamorize but also steers clear of proselytizing. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnApr 28, 2015
Dastmalchian's screenwriting debut bodes well for an alternative career alongside his performances. While never transcendent, the story's patient rhythms allow for a wholly believable world to take shape before it comes crashing down. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMay 14, 2015
It's gritty and grim, but Animals is also a gripping portrait of young junkies in love. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonApr 28, 2015
Throughout the first half of Animals, there is a welcome amount of humor and some flashes of romantic warmth to alleviate the ever-present undercurrent of dread. As director Collin Schiffli gradually tightens the screws and builds suspense, however, the mood darkens. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMay 15, 2015
There are a couple of things that make Animals effective, the main one being the performances of the two leads and the symbiotic relationship they create. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMay 14, 2015
Mr. Schiffli shoots in a fluid style, tweaking colors and focus to register changes in perception and feeling. Anxiety dissolves in sunshine and dreamy music, gathers up again in darker colors and more dissonant sounds and then winds up to a pitch of panic. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 14, 2015
Animals may be the kind of story we've seen, but it's told in a way that makes it worth seeing again. Read full review
70
Village VoiceChris PackhamMay 12, 2015
Schiffli and Dastmalchian deliver a sweet, elegiac concluding moment that offers a measure of hope without making a lot of unbelievable promises. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeApr 28, 2015
Grimy and sad but not sensationalistic, the debut feature is like Drugstore Cowboy drained of its hipness and sex appeal. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 12, 2015
David Dastmalchian wrote and co-stars in this generic but well-acted trip down junky lane. Read full review
60
The DissolveScott TobiasMay 13, 2015
Searching for originality in an addiction narrative like Animals is a problem, because these stories of decline and degradation tend to sound the same. So the limited time frame is the film’s strongest asset, because it’s only paying attention to the final hours. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerMay 14, 2015
It never pushes far enough into that territory to distinguish its beautiful losers from the many addiction-movie characters that precede them. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineCarson LundMay 11, 2015
It sticks firmly to a Kerouac-lite immersion into young love rather than a more provocative portrait of the hazards inherent to modern urban life. Read full review
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