american animals
Bart Layton is a multi - fetching director , producer , and writer most known for his piece of work in the documentary movie literary genre . Layton ’s recent documentary , The Imposter , achieved vital acclaim after premiering at Sundance and won a BAFTA . Now he will be releasing his first feature of speech filmAmerican Animals , which is now in theaters .
Screen Rant got a probability to let the cat out of the bag with Bart Layton on press day , where we discussed how he discovered the chronicle that inspired the picture show , how much he trust Warren ’s power point - of - view of the heist , and how he utilized his documentary film background to film his first feature film .
SR : This film is so bewitching to me . I had no idea really about this storey . So what instigate you , or how did this come across your desk and how did you find this ? What breathe in you to do this ?
Bart Layton : I read about the tale , the crime , in a magazine and I thought it was sort of kind of a unknown than fabrication narration . The more I record about it , the more bizarre it became . Very unusual group of criminals , you know ? They were very well educated . They were from good families . They had lots of opportunities . I was straightaway connive to understand the why of it . At the time I had learn about the storey , the Guy - and this is a mo of a spoiler but hopefully not too much - were in prison for quite a foresighted time . I began write to them just with that objective of trying to sympathise more of what the motive was and it was the letters that came back from them and the honesty where they talked about some of the reasons they had for doing it . It was n’t all about the money . I intend , for one of them and two of them it was . That was the matter that made me think , “ Wow . This is more than just a great story . ” This is really a story about our prison term . This is a story about young men who are rather lost , looking for this so - phone “ particular ” life they are promised and they are looking for identity essentially .
SR : I ’ve got to ask you because Warren is such a bewitching individual . Do you believe his narration with everything that fall out ? Because it seems like the guys are like we do n’t have a go at it .
Bart Layton : I mean , I think it ’s one of the thing that , as an hearing , you are encouraged to question . I do n’t have more information than you do after you ’ve seen the moving-picture show . I think Warren , he ’s kind of a fantasist . He wanted to make a movie for them all to live in . They want to survive in a pic rather than reality and that ’s the great irony . Now there ’s a movie about the story , but there was a sentience that the guys , I think that they in all likelihood thought that they would never actually go through with it . That they were going to get as far as they could to look over the precipice and then go we are n’t jumping because that would be calamitous and they did . And I think Warren plausibly more than any of them want to know what was on the other side of that line that you should never cut across .
SR : Now the path that you did this flick was extremely originative to me . When did you get that idea to take it in that direction ? Was it in pre - product when you were like I am going to do this documentary elan thing and also a feature ? Like flux this human race ?
Bart Layton : You know , my scope is in docs . There is something about watching a docudrama in a cinema which is a really visceral experience for an interview . You know , if someone pulled out a gun in a docudrama or there ’s stock on the flooring , that is like heartstopping poppycock . People get shot in the face every five minute in the movies and we do n’t thrash an lid , do we ? I want to hear to bring those two things together . So you are watching this but , because you know that it is dependable and has n’t been wildly overstated and has n’t been fictionalized , you are constantly remembering that this is happening in the same world that you and I live and suspire in . And so , because of that , your engagement and investment in the story is heightened . You are like in it . You are feel like what it might feel like to attempt a robbery like this .
SR : Chas is also another interesting reference because it seems like he has the most to fall back . So peach to me about when you utter to him . What signified you got from him ?
Bart Layton : Well , Chas is more of the square guy in a fashion . Chas is very ambitious . He ’s incredibly professional . You know , his mental attitude was if we are rifle to do this , we are locomote to do it right . He ’s not look for an experiential experience to examine to understand what life might be like if you make it up in the air travel and see where the spell body politic . He , I suppose , he wanted a head start . He was n’t disapprove the life that they were rejecting . In fact , I recollect he quite like it , the suburban life in Kentucky . And he realized that he got imply with a group of citizenry who probably were n’t , who did n’t have the same interests and were n’t motivate by the same things and were n’t as professional . And , because of that , he finish up Byzantine in something that is sort of spiraling out of control and watching his future potentially flushing down the stool .
