fertilecelluloid Review of All the Little Animals

All the Little Animals (1998)

Terrifying, beautiful, and impossible to categorize

[9/10 · 22 February 2007]

Christian Bale plays Bobby, a simple, mildly retarded man who is being bullied into signing away his inheritance (after his beloved mother dies) by his frightening, violent, bully of a stepfather, "The Fat", played with chilling authenticity by Bernard De Winter. Refusing to submit to his revolting stepfather's demands, Bobby runs away and meets Mr. Summers (John Hurt), an eccentric conservationist who has devoted his life to burying roadkill. The two men form a strong, platonic bond and spend their days on the road doing their special work. Jeremy Thomas's amazing film, which is impossible to categorize, is full of rich and sinister surprises. Once Bobby and Mr. Summer's idyllic existence in Cornwall is established, the rug is pulled, and we are plunged into a sadistic hell with them that is almost unbearable to watch at times. Bale, one of the best actors going, is extraordinary as Bobby, and makes us care so much for his unfortunate dilemma. De Winter is simply terrifying as the heavy-set villain of the piece, and brings an authenticity to his portrait of a sociopath that is so, so rare. Hurt, rarely seen on screen these days, doesn't put a foot wrong, either. The editing is a little disjointed at times, giving the impression that it is papering over a lack of coverage, but this minor issue is more than compensated for by the sheer originality and strength of the material. A real find.