American Animals, a thrilling tale of rare book theft, is a startling mix of fiction and reality. In the age of ‘alternative facts’ is this the way ahead for the documentary?
The first thing that viewers of the slippery new thriller American Animals will see is an unusual title card which reads: “This is not based on a true story.” The next thing we know, the words “not based on” have disappeared before our eyes. So is this film, which recounts a 2004 heist in Lexington, Kentucky, a drama or a documentary? Onscreen interviews with the criminals themselves – four bored young men who hatched a plot to steal valuable books (including Darwin’s On the Origin of Species) – tip the balance in favour of documentary. On the other hand, the film features fictionalised versions of the same people played by an able young cast, as well as the sort of glossy...
The first thing that viewers of the slippery new thriller American Animals will see is an unusual title card which reads: “This is not based on a true story.” The next thing we know, the words “not based on” have disappeared before our eyes. So is this film, which recounts a 2004 heist in Lexington, Kentucky, a drama or a documentary? Onscreen interviews with the criminals themselves – four bored young men who hatched a plot to steal valuable books (including Darwin’s On the Origin of Species) – tip the balance in favour of documentary. On the other hand, the film features fictionalised versions of the same people played by an able young cast, as well as the sort of glossy...
- 8/25/2018
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
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