American Animals (4½ Stars)

This is the 15th film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

This film has already been shown in cinemas in most other countries, but since no official German release is planned it was shown at German film festivals instead. The film is a box office flop, which I consider surprising. It's very well made, highly entertaining, and even the critics like it.

At the beginning the film makes the statement, "This film is not based on a true story; this film is a true story". I assume that the director means that he has made an effort to tell the story as accurately as possible. The action in the film is frequently interrupted by the real life characters talking about the film. Sometimes they contradict one another, for instance, "That's Warren's memory of the event. I remember it differently".

In 2003 two students decided to steal several books from the Transylvania University's library, including a first edition of John James Audubon's "The Birds of America", allegedly the world's most valuable book with a value of $12 million. Realising the job was too big for them they added a third, then a fourth student to their number.

The film shows the mishaps that are inevitable when inexperienced criminals try to act as a team.

Overall this is an excellent film which I look forward to seeing again.