Virginia Film Festival

Jude (Dastmalchian) and Bobbie (Shaw) try to maintain an outward appearance of normalcy, disguising their homelessness and addiction to opiates. Bonded by love tenuously held together, they hustle to get their fill, as dependent on each other as they are on substances. Living respectably seems within their grasp, but slips through their fingers as their addiction spirals outward. As their ruse begins to crumble around them, threatening to pull them under, they’re forced to reevaluate their way of life. Inspired by writer Dastmalchian’s own struggle, Animals portrays, in art-house style, the love story of a couple caged by their addictions. Discussion with actor and writer David Dastmalchian, director Collin Schiffli, and producer Jennifer Farmer