Animol is a 2026 British drama film, directed by Ashley Walters, from a screenplay by Nick Love. It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February (where it won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film) and went on general release in the UK last Friday, 30 October.

Troy (Tut Nyuot), Krystian (Vladyslav Baliuk) and Dion (Sekou Diaby) are processed into a young offender institution. Troy is on remand for conspiracy to murder; Krystian is also on remand, for a bungled burglary of a public library; and Dion, for whom we never really find out the what and why, seems to already be the institution’s king pin, despite having only just arrived – presumably he is a repeat offender. Troy and Krystian quickly realise that they must adapt to fit in: keeping a low profile is never going to be an option. Luckily, Dion takes them both under his (very dubious) wing and they become a part of his posse of enforcers. However, Troy shares a cell with the dangerous Mason (Ryan Dean), and he is not someone to be messed with. Claypole (Stephen Graham), is the unit’s caring youth worker, who tries his best to help the inmates survive their time and retain their self-respect and, perhaps, even learn from the experience.

From the beginning, this is a story of extreme violence and intimidation, as one would expect of such a drama. My problem with it was that there was simply not enough light and shade: for violence to work effectively in any film, and particularly in a prison film, there needs to be the continued threat and menace but not too much of the violence itself. This seemed to be violence, violence, violence from the word go. We must also understand what normality for the inmates is like, and I never felt the film was showing me that.

Having watched Animol yesterday, I rewatched Alan Clarke’s 1979 film Scum this morning, and I found it rather more believable because the violence is more the punctuation to the drama, rather than the stuff of it. Having said that, Animol is menacing and the fear is palpable; I guess life has moved on since 1979 – drugs undoubtedly play a considerably more significant role now, as do mobile phones and drones. We live in a darker more dangerous world, and I am sure that is the same both inside and outside of the prison system.

The acting was very good throughout and the script and direction were tight and kept up the necessary level of menace. My real problem was that I simply didn’t believe the ending. It was too easy (if that is the right word) for both Troy and Krystian, and the final life class presented by Claypole was quite frankly ridiculous – it was as though Stephen Graham wanted his Mads Michaelson moment (if you see the film, you may understand that reference).

Animol is not a comfortable watch by any means, but is worth your time when it reaches our small screens, even if it doesn’t quite manage to do it at the cinema.