Many will compare Animol to Wasteman, as they’re both British prison dramas released within the past year. Whichever film you prefer, Animol feels far fresher, with a braver attempt at exploring this subject matter.
Written by Nick Love, the film marks Ashley Walters’ directorial debut, bringing him together with Stephen Graham once again following the success of both Adolescence and A Thousand Blows. This is a great directorial debut, paired with beautifully shot visuals. It’s also a great pick for Nick Love, whose filmography is familiar with gritty British dramas and working-class stories.
Animol follows Troy (Tut Nyuot), who enters a Youth Offending Institution, where he first meets Dion (Sekou Diaby) and Krystian (Vladyslav Baliuk). While Troy almost instantly forms a bond with Krystian, Dion quickly establishes himself as a problem for Troy.
Troy and Krystian’s bond grows throughout the story, with Animol exploring both masculinity and homophobia within the prison environment. Vladyslav Baliuk will steal hearts with his performance as Krystian. He is a charm, bringing so much sincerity and vulnerability to the character of Krystian who is a young Polish boy simply trying to get along with others, while being so clearly out of place in such a violent and chaotic environment.
It is particularly through Krystian’s character that the film interrogates how much rehabilitation prisons are doing for young men. The structure of the British prison system is called into question when those serving time for petty crimes are placed in the same environment as those convicted of violent murders. By the end of the film, multiple characters leave prison having committed far worse crimes than the crime that they’re accused of. These characters find themselves forced to conform to gang culture in an attempt to survive. Animol showacases punishment for those who stay quiet and keep to themselves, leaving little room for anyone who refuses to conform.
Sekou Diaby (known for BBC’s Boarders) stands out as one of the film’s antagonists. He is terrifying and relentless as Dion, and his presence becomes suffocating. There is a constant fear surrounding the sheer unpredictability of his actions. Ryan Dean is also a scene-stealer as Mason. Both Dean and Diaby play the opposing figures to Nyuot’s Troy, but what Diaby particuarly brings to Dion is a level of cheekiness and charisma. Dean‘s performance, feels far more sinister, and these two together, work as a great one-two punch.
Stephen Graham plays the Prison Welfare Officer, who honestly isn’t given a great deal of material to work with. Instead, he largely serves as both a calming and familiar presence for the audience. Nick Love had originally written the role for Ashley Walters, which makes more sense for the type of role a director would have if they’re also wanting to have a small cameo/part in their film. Eventually, Ashley Walters decided it was best to have his full focus on directing, and passed the role onto Graham.
Animol is a great exploration of masculinity and how it presents itself in an environment that not only breeds violence but actively encourages it. The film considers how society views men and what we expect men to be like. It explores how young men are treated when they show a softer side, and how ostracized that softness can be in an environment where vulnerability is seen as a weakness. There is something particularly striking about the way the film portrays comfort and physical closeness between men. Watching this unfold through Troy and Krystian’s relationship, there is a tenderness between them that sadly feels scandalous in the world they are currently living in. This is not necessarily anything shocking, but still, it is heartbreaking to watch these two young boys being pushed towards criminal activities and forced to participate in machismo to avoid shame and ridicule. The screenplay really hammers down the sadness of this situation with Krystian’s character.
Really, the biggest theme threaded throughout the film is the strict standards of masculinity imposed on young boys. Toxic masculinity, if you must. Troy and Krystian characters who don’t necessarily want to participate in these activities, but they do anyway. At times, they even begin to embrace them, picking up habits and behaviours as they carry out these criminal tasks. It is a troubling reminder of how easily the environment around them begins to shape who they become. Troy, in particular, falls victim to this. He is a boy who is already navigating a strained relationship with his mother, and the institution only adds to the pressures he faces. As he becomes more immersed in this environment, the line between what he does to survive and the person he is becoming starts to blur.
The tension that builds around Troy and Krystian’s relationship is one of the film’s most compelling elements. Their friendship becomes another reminder of how deeply prison culture punishes vulnerability, particularly when it challenges traditional ideas of masculinity. While prison is a contained environment that almost feels like an amplified version of society, the experiences of these young men are not unique to life inside an institution. The same expectations around masculinity, the same fear of judgment and the same pressure to suppress vulnerability, exists in everyday society, too. The prison setting simply magnifies them, showing us what happens when these expectations become a matter of survival.
Ultimately, Animol is at its strongest when exploring Troy and Kyrstian’s dynamic, which is truly the heart of the film. We see what happens to young men when they are placed in an environment where violence becomes a means of survival and softness becomes something to hide. Their chemistry carries the film to emotional heights I was not expecting. While the ending scene of the film does not land with me, I enjoyed the screenplay highlighting the idea of shame.
Overall, this is a great directorial debut for Ashley Walters that initially feels like a safe option for him until the story is taken in directions that they are not often taken in.
