Ben Affleck is directing himself through a family nightmare in Animals. The new Netflix thriller arrives October 9 and casts Affleck as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose polished public life collapses when his son Denny is kidnapped.
Kerry Washington plays Mark’s wife, Abigail. The couple must find the ransom while keeping Denny alive, but the trailer makes clear that money is only part of the danger. The kidnappers and the people helping the family know that Mark and Abigail have not told each other everything.
The kidnapping puts their marriage on trial
Mark opens the trailer by saying, “In a crisis, we discover who we are, and what’s important to us.” The rest of the footage tests that belief. He must decide how far he will go to save his son while his campaign, reputation and marriage begin to come apart.
Gillian Anderson plays Dayle, a fixer brought into the crisis. Her warning is direct: secrets that might have stayed hidden during normal life could now hurt Denny. That puts Mark and Abigail in a difficult position. They need to trust each other at the exact moment when they have the most reason to ask questions.
Affleck has described the film as a story about marriage and the bargains people make when they build a life together. Animals uses a kidnapping plot to force those private choices into the open. The trailer moves between family memories, campaign events, ransom demands and moments when Mark appears close to breaking.
The actors spent several weeks rehearsing before filming at the Kimballs’ Los Angeles home. Affleck said he wanted performers who could collaborate closely, because the movie depends on the family scenes feeling connected before the kidnapping starts pulling them apart.
Steven Yeun joins the suspect list
Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez are also in the cast. The trailer gives Yeun a tense introduction without explaining exactly how his character connects to the Kimballs. That uncertainty is part of the mystery: the family cannot tell who is helping, who is watching and who already knows too much.
Christopher Woodley plays Denny. Affleck also co-wrote the movie with Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray. The producers include Affleck, Matt Damon, Dani Bernfeld, Luciana Damon, Brad Weston and Collin Creighton. The film runs 1 hour 48 minutes and carries an R rating in the United States.
Animals reaches Netflix on October 9. The trailer sells the film as a crime thriller, but the real pressure comes from watching Mark and Abigail decide what they are willing to reveal to save their child.
