Crossbow

One of my favourite (if not my favourite) films of 2010 was an independent Australian crime-drama called "Animal Kingdom". It is a beautifully directed look at the Melbourne underworld...and I f**king loved it. The entire time watching it, I couldn't quite fathom that this was David Michod's first film. Thus, as I often do, I decided to find out more about how it got made and, more importantly, how a first time director could achieve something so stunning.

What I found out was that he wrote the script some six years ago, thinking that someone else would direct it (as he put it: "I didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to give me the money to do it"). However, after a while, he became so emotionally attached to it he decided he wanted to direct it himself - for fear of someone else screwing it up. So, he began making short films, most of whom were at least marginally shite. Yet for his last (as it turned out) short he decided to make it with the mood and tone that he envisioned for Animal Kingdom, which would be a valuable tool in raising the funds for a feature. The result was "Crossbow" a 15 minute piece about a very dysfunctional family. Some producer saw that, read the script for Animal Kingdom, and the rest, as they say, is history. Enjoy:

Happy Mother's Day

JB.