MY ANIMAL: A Lycanthrope Tale Without Much Bite

A young adult holds onto a dangerous secret, but a blossoming romance puts everything at risk. Written by Jae Matthews and directed by Jacqueline Castel, My Animal has all the makings of telling a captivating queer drama under the moon of a lycanthrope metaphor. But it never quite balances the two well enough to do so, despite some amazing filmmaking.

Heather (Bobbi Salvör Menuez) lives a lonely, quiet life with her parents and young twin brothers. While her siblings are allowed to socialize and participate in hobbies, Heather is not afforded the same luxury by their parents. It’s a way to protect her, as she is cursed with being a werewolf, though she feels controlled.

One day, she begins an unlikely friendship with a beautiful figure skater named Jonny (Amandla Stenberg). There is something so enchanting about Jonny, and there is an undeniable spark between the two.

With their feelings growing, Heather struggles to guard her secrets while pursuing something that seems equally dangerous.

My Animal has many wonderful qualities, but it can often feel focused on mesmerizing the viewer rather than bringing its story and metaphors full circle. There are some stunning cinematic moments that artfully represent the things that Heather is going through, and it beautifully emulates a gritty 80s aesthetic — though it can’t settle on whether it wants to be a retro or modern tale.

I found the film’s first two acts quite intriguing, and things seem to be building towards something powerful. But it instead drags before losing what message it was trying to tell.

There are so many pillars the film attempts to focus on—forbidden romance, family drama, werewolf mythology—but it fails to balance them all while maintaining their meaning, never committing enough. And as the credits roll, it feels like there was wasted potential.

While Menuez and Stenberg give fantastic performances and have great chemistry with each other, the stakes never feel high enough. The entire notion of Heather’s werewolf identity feels shoehorned in. You could remove it, and it wouldn’t be a different film.

It feels like a simplistic plot device to throw mythical creatures into the mix without it supporting the story. A film that better features a supernatural family drama is My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To, which elegantly presents a heartbreaking account while twisting vampiric lore. Though these two would be a nice double feature together.

My Animal hits select theaters on September 8 and VOD September 15