All the Little Animals (1998)

Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange old man who ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeremy Thomas

Writers:

Eski Thomas (screenplay), Walker Hamilton (book)

Stars:

John Hurt, Christian Bale, Daniel Benzali

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Hurt	...	Mr. Summers
Christian Bale	...	Bobby Platt
Daniel Benzali	...	Bernard 'The Fat' De Winter
James Faulkner	...	Mr. Stuart Whiteside
John O'Toole	...	Lorry Driver
Amanda Boyle	...	Des
Amy Robbins	...	Valerie Ann Platt, Bobby's Mother
John Higgins	...	Dean
Kaye Griffiths	...	Lepidopterist
Sevilla Delofski	...	Janet, De Winter's Secretary
Helen Kluger	...	Icecream Vendor
Shane Barks	...	Young Bobby
Sjoerd Broeks	...	Mark
Elizabeth Earl	...	Child in Van
Andrew Dixon	...	Philip

Storyline

Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange old man who wanders the highways to bury roadkill animals. Bobby becomes the old man's apprentice and learns to see the world of nature in a strange idyllic way. But soon the shadow of his stepfather catches up to him and Bobby's world explodes into a grotesque nightmare.

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Plot Keywords:

animal | roadkill | pet | nature | escape | 

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Taglines:

On this earth, in this land, We are all here for a reason.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

Biedne zwierzaki

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,888 (USA) (3 September 1999)

Gross:

$23,349 (USA) (10 September 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), BBC Films, British Screen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Bobby jumps out of the lorry as it swerves off the road. As we see the crash from another angle, the passenger door is shut and there is no sign of Bobby on the ground.

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Quotes

Bobby Platt: It's funny. I can see my old self quite clearly. Remembering how I felt is much, much harder. Sometimes feelings come back to me when I'm digging, or in a dream. But mostly he's gone, that earlier me, who could hardly do anything, or even think anything. I mean I could read a bit, I could write a bit. I could talk... but I hardly ever did.

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Connections

References Watership Down (1978)

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Soundtracks

"John Barleycorn"
Music traditional
Words by Robert Burns
Performed by The Screaming Orphans

User Reviews

Great performances

This is a quirky movie full of wonderful rich and moving performances. Christian Bale is, as always, magnificent as the slightly brain damaged Bobby. Unable to stand up to his sadistic step father he runs away and meets Mr. Summers, one of the most odd movie characters I've seen some time. A man who has dedicated his life to burying roadkill, played to perfection by John Hurt. Bobby is happy living with Mr. Summers and helping in "his work". But when Mr. Summers convinces Bobby to go home and break all ties with his step-father forever they find out just how evil this man really is. It's really quite a good film.