The Animal Project
| The Animal Project | |
|---|---|
Film poster
|
|
| Directed by | Ingrid Veninger |
| Written by | Ingrid Veninger |
| Starring |
Aaron Poole Hannah Cheesman Emmanuel Kabongo |
| Cinematography | Cabot McNenly |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
90 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Globe and Mail |   |
| National Post |  |
| NOW Magazine | |
| Toronto Star | |
The Animal Project is a 2013 Canadian drama film written and directed by Ingrid Veninger. It debuted at the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Music for the film is by Nick Storring, creating his first feature film score. Due to the film's "naturalistic tone", he notes there's little music. Storring wrote on his blog that Veninger and he "tried numerous types of things with different scenes, and in some of those cases the decision was ultimately no music at all."Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People appear in the film with "Sei Spento il Sole".
In a story about Canadian films at TIFF in 2013 when the film premiered, Maclean's dubbed Veninger "Toronto’s reigning queen of DIY cinema".
The film premiered at the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film has also screened at the St. John's International Women's Film Festival, with a one-hour "making of" talkback section. In November, it will screen at the Denver Film Festival.
NOW Magazine commented that "It may not be the sort of hyper-personal near-meta-fiction Veninger defined her career with, but The Animal Project seems to similarly prod the relationship between interiority and outside world." In a review, the magazine gave it their highest rating, "NNNN", declaring it a transitional project for the director, who "upped her game without abandoning any of her characteristic whimsy." They note the film has a narrative story unlike her previous films, and a "more formal visual style".
Highlighting actor Aaron Poole in an article, Torontoist suggested that the film was "heavy with emotional baggage but imbued with a lightness that comes from being partially improvised," suggesting it might "demonstrate a different side of Poole." Ilse de Mucha Herrera for The Arts Scene website suggested that the film is "nothing short of delightful", a "refreshing" film with "a script full of passion with relatable characters and creative sequences," rating it 4/5.
Isabel Cupryn of Canadian Film Review commented: "With pure honesty and unwavering compassion for its characters, it's hard not to fall in love with this quiet, thoughtful film. The Animal Project is like its creator Ingrid Veninger — genuine and true to its heart."
...
Wikipedia