Animol Review: Tut Nyuot Shines in Prison Drama

Tut Nyuot anchors Ashley Walters’ prison drama Animol, which succeeds at challenging stereotypes and examining masculinity despite its flaws.

And Troy finds out exactly what kind of dynamics he’s about to face before he even enters the prison’s walls, with a seasoned inmate named Dion (Sekou Diaby) forces him to smuggle a phone into the institution as they’re about to be searched by the guards. Thanks to the help of another new inmate – Krystian (Vladyslav Baliuk), a Polish, empathetic young man whom Troy had started to talk before Dion’s arrival – our hero manages to complete the task, but that only means that he’s about to be given more.

Soon, Troy meets his cellmate, Mason (Ryan Dean). “You don’t look like trouble,” the latter tells him, explaining that he doesn’t feel threatened by Troy sharing a cell with him in the slightest. For Troy, of course, it’s quite the opposite, as even though Mason isn’t as much of a ‘big dog’ as Dion is, there’s something about his cellmate that makes him uneasy. His worries are confirmed later that day, when Troy approaches Krystian in the dining hall and Mason immediately picks a fight with the latter, which leads to Claypole (Stephen Graham, who worked with Walters in Adolescence), the prison’s welfare officer, getting involved.

“What’s your name?”, Dion asks Troy later that day, when the latter approaches him to deliver the smuggled phone to its owner, though he immediately decides it doesn’t matter. “From now on, it’s M.; M,. for Murder.” Dion decides Troy will be one of his runners: someone who’ll help him smuggle drugs into the prison by collecting it the moment it lands from strategically placed drones. Of course, there’s a high risk of getting caught; even if Dion doesn’t quite look as untrustworthy as Mason, he’s just as dangerous, and Troy knows it. Soon, Mason starts noticing what Troy is doing for Dion, which complicates things further not only for our protagonist but also for Krystian, his only ally, who has been helping him out with the drone deliveries to prevent him from getting caught.

Within the first thirty minutes of Animol, director Ashley Walters and writer Nick Love (The Sweeney) cleverly set the stage for the film’s central conflict. A young man who may or may not have committed a crime finds himself right in the middle of a power struggle between two dangerous top dogs, forced into doing something he doesn’t want to do but unable to ask anyone for help except for this one inmate who’s even more vulnerable than he is, with their growing affection for one another making them both even more of a target.

Up till this point, Animol is a very tense and engaging film, thanks not only to these interesting dynamics but also to believable performances from and all cast members, led by a flawless Tut Nyuot. Though the film keeps being engaging till the end, most of what happens in-between is very straightforward, delivering exactly what you’d expect from a prison drama involving young offenders. And while there’s plenty of tension here, the film doesn’t really stray from the formula, offering few surprises compared to similar movies in a very crowded genre.

Take the recently released Wasteman, which gave us a slow-burning story with high stakes and irresistible dynamics between two complex and well-rounded characters, used to ultimately make a point about survival. Here, you’ll find many violent scenes and dangerous scenarios, but it’s hard to buy into them when the threats to our characters’ existence, the world they inhabit, and even, at points, the characters themselves feel more like a means to deliver a message than actual, real-life scenarios and individuals. Take Troy’s estranged mother Joy (Sharon Duncan Brewster, of Dune: Part One), who, instead of giving us some context on Troy’s past, does quite the opposite, coming across as a caricature rather than a real person because we know so little about them both. Thankfully, the inmates are better developed, but they don’t always come across as three-dimensional human beings.

What Animol does well, however, is challenging stereotypes in an environment that’s usually defined by expectations – and, as a result, actual displays – of hyper-masculine and mysoginistic behavior, even more so when it comes to Black inmates. Without spoiling anything, Dion has a very interesting arc here; the film defies stereotypes in a way that’s not only refreshing but also very much needed, and Sekou Diaby’s performance helps this message of acceptance land despite the film’s flaws.

The film ends with a scene – led by Stephen Graham in another superb turn – that’s very likely to move and inspire you; it had that effect on me, though it also felt too optimistic and naive for it to truly work for me. That said, Animol is still a strong debut from Ashley Walters, with fantastic performances at its core and a timely message about toxic masculinity that will resonate with many viewers.

Animol premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 14-20, 2026. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews and our list of 20 films to watch at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival!