The Zookeeper's Wife English Movie
Films based on the Second World War broadly belong to one of two types- emotional tear-jerkers or brutally honest documentations. Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List(1993) was acclaimed for seamlessly dovetailing the two styles to recreate an actual event in the most truthful manner. Niki Caro's The Zookeeper's Wife follows the footsteps of Spielberg's bone-chilling work, except with lesser effect.
Jessica Chastain as Antonina Zabinski plays yet another memorable heroine through whose eyes we see the horrors of the war. Set in Poland, the war drama shows Antonina and her family pulling a 'Schindler' by secretly sheltering hundreds of Jews at their basement through the entirety of the war. Zookeepers by profession, the Zabinskis, needless to say, have a special predilection towards animals. Though this benevolence is what probably motivates their long selfless act, it is weakly suggested. The film also largely restricts the repercussions of the war to the four walls of the Zabinskis' residence.
The lead players Chastain and Johan Heldenbergh exude a mesmerizing range of emotions as the Zabinskis. They have a natural camaraderie and make acting look so easy, even under those thick Polish accents. Daniel Bruhl plays another evil Nazi loyal, not unlike his role in Inglourious Basterds, but is also responsible for some of the nail-biting moments in the film as its only antagonist.
Chastain carries the film on her shoulders for most part, even though there are notable contributions from the supporting cast. She reaffirms her versatility by successfully giving life to a character poles apart from the previous one- in Miss Sloane where she played a self-important lobbyist, which was also a captivating performance. Here, her tenderness and compassion take centre-stage, swaying the audience to root for her cause. On a side note, her Antonina is reminiscent of the mother-figure she had portrayed in The Tree of Life.
Sadly, The Zookeeper's Wife contains very few segments of tension or noteworthy drama, in spite of the excellent individual performances. Yes, it is a true story, but the idealistic, happy ending undermines the nightmare that was World War II. The likeness to Schindler's List also lingers throughout the film.
Nevertheless, the everlasting impact of World War II can be felt simply by acknowledging the sheer number of stories it has instigated so far in literature, cinema and other art forms.
MOVIE REVIEWS