As many European countries celebrate the end of World War II this month there have been lots of showings on movies about the war. In the Netherlands we celebrate the end of the war on May 5th and I watched this movie a couple of days later. If you're curious please read on about the story (no spoilers) and my opinion of it!
The Movie
The movie tells the story of Antonia and Jan Zabynsky who run a zoo together in Warshaw (Poland). As the war approaches and Poland is occupied by the Nazi forces, they try to continue giving care to their animals and upkeeping their zoo. However, after a bombing on the city they loose all their animals. They decide to use their influence and room to help the Jewish population living in the Warshaw Ghetto instead, accepting the high risks that come with that.
Review
I really enjoyed this movie, Antonina played by Jessica Chastain plays a really good role. You might remember her from her roles in Zero Dark Thirty or The Help and I think she really carries the movie. The suspense runs high in this movie as you are constantly afraid that they will get discovered or arrested (or worse). I also thought the movie gave a good idea of the Ghetto without focusing the whole movie on it, like the Pianist or Shindler's List do, so it provides a new angle.
The only downside of the movie I thought were the accents sometimes. It is a Polish story made into an international English-speaking film and the difficult thing is always how to keep it authentic. However, for me, having a Californian lead actor attempt a Polish accent was not the answer.
Overall though I think this movie is well-made and definitely worth a watch!
