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

There is more cheese in the second quick shot of the mice eating cheese, than in the first.

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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

"Isle of View"
A Composition from The Penguin Cafe
Written by Simon Jeffes
Performed by Geoffrey Richardson, Ian Maidman and Steve Fletcher

User Reviews

Beautiful, quietly dignified

ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (2.35 Research)

Sound format: Dolby Digital

Until it takes a darker turn during its latter stages, there's a quiet dignity at the heart of this unusual drama, the directorial debut of producer Jeremy Thomas, based on a novel by Walker Hamilton. Christian Bale - a long way from EMPIRE OF THE SUN and two years from American PSYCHO - plays a mentally impaired young man who runs away from his creepy stepfather (Daniel Benzali) in the wake of his mother's death and ends up in Cornwall, where he befriends an eccentric hermit (John Hurt) whose fondness for animals strikes a healing chord within Bale's damaged psyche. Together, they set out to bury the dead creatures they find around their ramshackle home in the forest, many of them killed by traffic on lonely country roads.

Characterized by its magical performances (Bale is utterly convincing as the 10 year old boy trapped in a 25 year old's body) and eye-popping, panoramic vistas of the English landscape, the film offers a gentle reminder of mankind's place in the natural scheme of things, though Thomas makes his point without stooping to preachiness or obvious metaphors. In an amusing turnabout from standard Hollywood practices, this UK-lensed film features an American actor (Benzali) playing a Brit villain, the catalyst for a late-breaking plot development which some may find overly melodramatic. By turns humane, frightening and beautiful, this isn't a movie for all tastes, but adventurous viewers will be rewarded for their patience. A possible cult in the making.