The weather is just right for another season of the Rooftop Films Summer Series. The beloved annual festival is back, with IndieWire exclusively debuting the 2025 lineup. This year’s Summer Series will run from May 16 through August 22, and will include over 40 events, featuring new independent feature films, short film programs, family screenings, and live performances.
The U.S. premiere of Sean Byrne’s horror film “Dangerous Animals” is a highlight for the Rooftop Films slate; “Dangerous Animals” will have its world premiere during Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes before screening stateside at the Summer Series, with an in-person Q&A featuring director Byrne and cast members Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, and Josh Heuston on Thursday, May 22.
I caught a screener, and enjoyed myself with it. The cast is fun and the pace is brisk. It asks a little from you as you go along, and I and my audience were willing to give it.
Caught the advance showing at Regal. This is really twisted & crafty and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire running time.
Hard to believe Sean Byrne hadn't directed anything in 10 years.
Jai Courtney makes for a great villain and Hassie Harrison is just perfect as the girl with the dark past, or something. I hope this movie is a success and propels her to the next level, she really deserves it.
It’s been nearly 50 years since a certain shark-centric thriller made audiences everywhere scared to get back in the water. But with his new horror film “Dangerous Animals,” director Sean Byrne and his cast want to correct the species’ misrepresentation displayed in “Jaws” by terrifying viewers with the true top of the food chain: the human being.
But not just any old human. In “Dangerous Animals,” Jai Courtney portrays a charming yet brutal serial killer named Tucker who uses the ocean to live out his own killer instincts. Naturally, it’s not the sharks’ fault they’d eat whatever they find submerged amongst the chum. In fact, both the cast and crew went so far as to praise the animals at the film’s Los Angeles premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday night — even if they experienced a real-life shark attack on set while making the Australian/Canadian/American co-production.
“S–t got real,” Courtney told the audience in a post-screening Q&A, revealing the cast was present for the near miss. According to the Aussie actor, a shark nipped a cameraman’s snorkeling fin while he was riding a Jet Ski.
In the end, the crew utilized an underwater barrier to keep the actors, stunt actors and crew members safe in the open ocean, as well as pools for close-up shots. Plus, every single person involved confirmed they’re more afraid of serial killers than sharks, especially after making the movie.
“Sharks have had a bad rap over the years — they’re actually beautiful creatures — and this sets the record straight: man’s the monster, shark’s not the monster,” Byrne further noted on the carpet.
Aside from the movie’s more murderous plottings, “Dangerous Animals” is also a love story between Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) and Moses (Josh Heuston), with both actors in star-making turns. Their instant chemistry gives the film deeper stakes, all while ratcheting up the tension.
For “Yellowstone” and “Tacoma FD” actress Harrison, having the movie premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival earlier this month — the first Australian film to make the Directors’ Fortnight in a decade — made the mid-ocean night shoots worth it.
“It is scary, it is hard, it is cold. You want to be in the ocean for an hour, two hours — imagine a 12-hour day in the ocean. It gets pruny,” Harrison told TheWrap with a laugh. “I love sharks and I love wildlife. This is such a cool movie in that it makes the audience ask, ‘What is scarier?’”
Meanwhile, the “Heartbreak High” and “Dune: Prophecy” actor told TheWrap what it’s like to represent his native Australia on the international stage.
“I feel like every little kid dreams of something like [Cannes]. I’m a big advocate for Australian film and television, so to get that opportunity to put it on the world’s stage was incredible,” Heuston shared. “You ride the waves you can pick up, for me I’ve been fortunate to have good opportunities and to make the most of them.”
“It really was quite special for us, the reception was so positive. It was so cool to have a flood of energy around the film, especially for one that’s a little unexpected for the festival,” Courtney agreed.
Maybe watching an atrocious shark movie (Into the Deep) the day before helped with Dangerous Animals, but the evidence is all there: A unique premise that actually invigorates the shark subgenre with new life, a commanding villain performance by Jai Courtney, and an actual protagonist in Hassie Harrison that you REALLY root for.
Just to foot stomp, this is what happens when you infuse GREAT character work into a stale subgenre. Like Jaws 50 years ago, Sean Byrne knows this, and flexes his characters constantly throughout. So much so that the sharks only add to the recipe. It's a beautifully shot film too, with a gritty edge and creative camera movement where needed.
Maybe watching an atrocious shark movie (Into the Deep) the day before helped with Dangerous Animals, but the evidence is all there: A unique premise that actually invigorates the shark subgenre with new life, a commanding villain performance by Jai Courtney, and an actual protagonist in Hassie Harrison that you REALLY root for.
Just to foot stomp, this is what happens when you infuse GREAT character work into a stale subgenre. Like Jaws 50 years ago, Sean Byrne knows this, and flexes his characters constantly throughout. So much so that the sharks only add to the recipe. It's a beautifully shot film too, with a gritty edge and creative camera movement where needed.
5/5
It does a beautiful job of injecting the cat-and-mouse concept with a jolt of raw energy.
Highly recommend it. A very solid thriller/horror. It has plenty of edge of your seat sequences, good acting, and it builds suspense very nicely. It has its brutal moments. The shark element is not as prominent, but it becomes more relevant as the story progresses. It leans a bit more towards a thriller, but the killer is also pretty sinister, and it helps to balance the thrills and horror very well.
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Dangerous Animals (2025)
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