Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Ben Affleck, Netflix’s ‘Animals‘ begins by peeking into the life of famed lawyer-turned-controversial councilman-turned mayoral candidate Mark Kimball, who seems prepared to do anything in order to win. However, when a phone call announces that his son has been seemingly kidnapped on the night of Halloween, Mark, along with his wife, Abigail, finds himself pushed to the brink. With no easy way to procure the enormous ransom money that is asked of him, he makes a few desperate decisions and gets in bed with some truly powerful people, only to then be swept into an even bigger whirlpool of troubles. In telling this story, this crime-suspense movie crafts a realistic portrait of the city of Los Angeles and its myriad inhabitants, moving away from glitz and glamor to explore shades of gray.
Animals is a Work of Fiction Rooted in its Social Commentary on Los Angeles
‘Animals’ is a fictional story created by a writing team made up of Connor McIntyre, Billy Ray, and Ben Affleck, with no ties to any particular real-world kidnapping scandal. While the original screenplay was penned by McIntyre only, Ray and Affleck got involved at different points in the production cycle and added their own touches to the story. Notably, the film was almost scrapped days before shooting after Affleck realized that its story had similarities to Spike Lee’s ‘Highest 2 Lowest.’ Both stories center around the kidnapping of the protagonist’s son, as well as their professional aspirations, and Affleck did not want the two films to compete or appear derivative.
Though Affleck initially considered delaying filming for ‘Animals,’ things got more complicated when he learned that Lee’s film was itself a remake of the Akira Kurosawa film ‘High and Low.’ Anticipating constant comparisons to one of cinema’s most iconic classics, Affleck and his team made the difficult decision of moving on from the project. “It’s hard enough to make a good movie. You don’t need those kinds of headwinds,” he recalled thinking in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly. However, for months after that decision, Affleck found himself uniquely fixated on the story and its thematic points, and eventually decided to give it another shot.
The thing that convinced Affleck the most about reviving the project was the film’s perspective on the city of Los Angeles. Before filming, it struck the director that he had spent more time in Tinseltown than in Boston, where he grew up. Beyond that, though, he was also drawn to how the film almost treats the city as a character in and of itself. “It does this thing of presenting an image and having a different inside,” he added, pointing towards economic and racial disparity, as well as other socioeconomic issues that make the movie feel authentic.
Ben Affleck Pretended to Campaign For Mayor to Get Into the Shoes of Mark Kimball
Just like the larger story of ‘Animals,’ the protagonist, Mark Kimball, is a fictional construct and not based on any real-life lawyer or mayoral candidate. Ben Affleck explained the idea behind his character in a conversation with Variety, noting that the goal was to make viewers continually recalibrate their understanding of the protagonist. To that end, he was very conscious of the intersection of race and class when designing Mark’s character, and of how his grimmer shades are slowly revealed as the film goes on. That said, Affleck has not identified any real-life mayor or mayoral candidate who serves as the basis for the character. When asked about his political views on Los Angeles and its leaders, he said he would describe himself as “agnostic” until the film’s release.
While the writing team of the film may not have based Mark on any specific real-life figure, Affleck found his own way to draw inspiration from real life. In preparation for the film, he took to the streets and pretended to campaign for mayor while wearing Mark Kimball merchandise. To his surprise, many people responded with genuine concerns, which allowed him to get into the required mindset more convincingly. Beyond the backdrop of a mayoral election, however, the film also uses Mark’s character as a vessel for its commentary on marriage. Affleck noted that one of the questions this movie asks is “At what point in a relationship are you able to say, ‘This is who I am’?” and that is certainly reflected in the way Mark’s relationships with others are depicted at every level.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Animals Filmed? All Shooting Locations
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