The Zookeeper's Wife

This film tells the story of a couple who runs a zoo in German occupied Poland. When the horrible persecution begins, they decide to hide Jews in their zoo to prevent them from being persecuted. "The Zookeeper's Wife" is a very touching film. It is remarkable that they find enormous courage to help people they don't know, risking their lives many times in the process. The scene where their Jewish friend ask them if they are really sure if he can stay in their zoo, it is very touching because it is what is not says that is profoundly touching. It is a beautiful story with a beautiful ending.

This is a movie everyone should see. It's truly inspiring, it makes you think about humanity and shows you the creations of cruelty, hate alongside with what love, compassion, and courage can achieve. The whole cast was great especially the outstanding Jessica Chastain. The natural bond she has with the animals like the real Antonina Zabinski is so magical. Knowing the movie is based on a true story makes your heart break. But seeing these lovely, kindhearted people saving so many others is raising hope even for the times we're living in now. It's a heavy movie, but I definitely recommend it.

So I watch a lot of movies. That said, in my 51 years have never taken the time to write a single review, but after seeing this movie last evening, I felt I had to. The story is similar to Schindler's List in that a family/person help Jews escape Nazis. You would think that the story line is played out. That seeing another tear jerker is not worth seeing or that you have seen it all. Not so with this movie. The story is as you can guess both historical and well told. The director has included enough raw scenes that make you cringe, yet not gone so far that the movie is unwatchable. While the story has many moments of pain and suffering, there are equal moments of simple happiness in what really matters in life. The acting is great. I truly felt as if I was there. I had never heard of the two main actors before, but the emotion they portrayed, was real. Obviously I was enamored with the movie and can only hope that the Director, actors, and production crew see this review and my thanks for making this movie.

I have seen a lot of WW2 films - many about the Holocaust - I was immediately struck by the attention that this film paid to life in Warsaw before the invasion of Poland. The story line draws the viewer in with its depiction of the relationships between the zookeeper couple and the animals. Together, they struggle for life and everyone gets along. When Poland is eventually invaded by Germany,this makes the brutality of the war all the more shocking. The innocence of the unsuspecting, terrified zoo animals puts a magnifying glass on how the humans must have felt. This film does a great job of explaining how so many people were caught in the web and unwilling to attempt escape until it was too late. The film is well acted and pays great attention to detail. Several of the characters age before your eyes not only from the passage of time but from the extreme stress they are under. For 2 hours I completely forgot about the outside world which is what I most want from a movie. This is a very emotional film and not for those who are very sensitive and at the same time it should be seen by as many people as possible. The actions of the zookeeper's family are inspiring and moving. It's a nice reminder of what it looks like to do the right thing.