Based on a true story, director Bart Layton wrote and directed "American Animals" about a a group of young, upper middle class friends who carried out a library heist of rare collectibles in Kentucky in 2004. As an ironic play on the nature of the crime at hand, Layton took the name of the film from a quote within one of the valuable books that was stolen, Darwin's "On The Origin Of Species", exploring the evolution of the “American dream” and how far complacent individuals will go to challenge the comfort of their lives. On The Treatment, Layton also touches on spending time in Kentucky as a Brit, learning the youth culture of this group of friends and the upper middle class lifestyle that led them to gamble with their life paths.
Director Bart Layton, courtesy of The Orchard.