Have you ever fantasized about killing your lover? Ever played out the scenario in your head where you take your own life? Ever wished for something so badly – or dreaded something so immensely – that when your mind’s focus actually came to fruition it left you wondering if your concentrated thoughts may have actually manifested themselves into reality? Welcome to the world of Greg Zglinski’s Animals, a cinematic universe in which anything is possible, and even your deepest darkest secrets are not safe from public display.
The film starts out simple enough – an aging wife named Anna worries that her husband Nick is cheating on her, and she’s right. Nick and the girl on the third floor, Mischa, have been having an affair for a little over a year now, and like any mistress waiting for her married man to leave his wife, she’s getting harder to quiet. That’s possibly why Nick has chosen now as the perfect time to take a six-month hiatus from his hometown, although he claims it’s to research recipes from random places out in the country in order to create a special cookbook. His suspicious wife tags along to this cabin out in the forest, so that she, too, can work on her writing – and keep an eye on her hubby’s wandering eye, as well of course. But when a random sheep in the road stop them dead in their tracks – causing a horrific car crash that lands Anna in the hospital with a serious head injury – a wrench is thrown into both of their plans, and nothing will ever be the same.
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How long has Anna been at the cabin? To her, it’s been a day, but suddenly her husband casually mentions a shocking sentence – she hasn’t gotten any writing done in the two weeks that they’ve been there. Is Anna inside or outside of the cabin? There seems to be two of her hanging around at once. Did her husband drag her out of his car by her hair and butcher her in the street, or did they arrive safely at their destination without a scratch on either of them? Did Mischa jump from the third-floor window of her apartment building and explode onto the pavement below, or did she go out on a date with the doctor who’s supposedly missing a finger? Is that stray cat talking to Anna, or is she going mad? Is she truly unable to open that mysterious blue-lit door upstairs at the end of the hall, or is she just in a coma back at the hospital and dreaming this all up?
This wonky timeline that’s told all out of order disrupts the normality of cause and effect, creating a gripping distorted version of reality that makes the viewer feel as though they were on a drug-fueled trip. It’s as if every character in the movie is dreaming up his or her own little storm, and all of their shared visions are clashing and creating an alternate dimension. In its own way, the movie shows how being in a marriage can sometimes feel like living out a nightmare.
This warped world is a fun one to play in, as we, the audience, become like silly putty in director Zglinski’s hands – we see what he wants us to see, and nothing is certain. It’s a trippy, strange, visceral cinematic universe he’s created, with an intriguing message to boot – reality is what you make it. This is his reality, and as unique and exciting as it is to witness, it’s just as terrifying to watch these abusive domestic events unfold. Love can ruin our lives, warp our perception, and plant within us paranoia that manifests in horrific ways, but without it, we’re nothing more than animals. Whichever side is better to be on is up to you.
With this moody, surreal atmospheric piece already under his belt, it will be thrilling to see what director Zglinski does next.
