Zoo (2007) Reviews

• The point--as with the ultimate intent--is unclear...

  moonspinner552010-01-21

  Actors silently recreate controversial true-life events which took place in Washington State near Puget Sound when a family man died a shameful, incomprehensible death: he successfully managed to get a horse to have sex with him, resulting in internal injuries. Called zoophilia, this act of sexually bonding with an animal not of the human variety is the basis for this entire production--and yet is tiptoed around in a most facetious, irritating, and finally dreary manner. The audio interviews with actual persons connected to this story fail to flesh out the narrative, what with clueless lines such as: "These were animals I loved. I wasn't breaking any laws." True, at that time, Washington did have not laws on the books regarding bestiality (which has since been rectified), but we are never made to understand this obsession. This "classless society" of men is envisioned here as members of a secretive sect (mysteriously filmed), and what we hear on the soundtrack are the murmurings of troubled and regretful lost souls. The swooping, gliding cinematography is handsome, but only serves to make the overall effect rather drowsy. The subject matter, though wanly dissected, isn't for the faint of heart...but if you're going to do a documentary-styled take on a small circle of zoophiliacs, you might want to figure out in advance what point you want to make. Director and co-writer Robinson Devor obviously didn't want to venture too far out into unchartered cinematic waters, yet his hesitance is much more of a turn-off than his theme. *1/2 from ****

• A humanizing look at something awful

  adamdonaghey2007-04-30

  Zoo is probably as tasteful a movie as can be, given its bestial subject. For those of you who aren't aware, there's a small population of the world who prefer the love of an animal--both mentally and physically--over the love of a human. This film stylistically recreates the life and death of one horse lover, Mr. Hands, and his pack of animal molesting friends, during one of many meetings and BBQ's in a small town near Seattle. Mr. Hands died from internal injuries, caused by the numerous and repetitive thrusting of the enlarged member of a stallion into his anus. The film is tasteful because it's not sleazy. In this respect, it's almost worse on the audience because it humanizes these so-called animal lovers. What you'd think would be more like a shockumentary, more than anything else, really becomes a shallow dissection of a zoophile's playful mind. It's certainly not psychological, nor really in-depth; but its shallowness really makes it that much more grim. As I watched the film, I felt like a voyeur peering into the lives of ordinary human beings doing absolutely bizarre and reprehensible things--and they just talked about it as if it were as benign and workaday as eating a bowl of cereal or taking the dog for a ride (insert pun here). Yet, much like a pedophile talking about his love for children, these zoophile's innocently and sincerely spoke about their love for animals. Initially concerned about the content of the film, I left the theater without witnessing the exploitation or mockery of bestiality, nor did I see anything graphic or overtly sexual. I did leave the theater a little sickened, however, because I didn't loathe Mr. Hands or his friends. In fact, I somehow sympathized with their pitiful plight.

• Doesn't quite put the 'best' in bestiality...

  ninjas-r-cool2010-05-08

  Do you love horses? If so, then you'll probably want to check out this documentary, because it's about a bunch of guys who, just like you, love horses. They love the way you can see all those powerful muscles on display, working in tangent to create such a gracious, majestic stride. They love the affectionate nature of these beasts as they nuzzle up to you and blow satisfied gusts of hot air from their nostrils. They love to put their hands against a stallion's testicles and feel the sensual heat emanating from those glorious globes. Most of all, they love all that feral energy when there's a two foot horse-cock jack-hammering away at their insides, sending waves of sexual bliss through every part of their bod... Heeeey... Wait a second. This isn't about animal lovers. It's about perverts! Well, that should make for a much more interesting doco, right? Eh, afraid not. First up, this movie looks and sounds amazing. It's loaded with beautifully constructed imagery and evocative music, so it's quite a feast for the senses. But that's not enough to make a good documentary. There's a lot of voice-over work from the zoophiles and others, but none of it really offers any insight into the subject matter. Much of it is just these guys talking about how they discovered and connected with other folk with similarly rare sexual proclivities. And they talk about loving horses. That doesn't interest me. Hell, I like horses; I just don't want to have sex with one. And there's never any discussion about the line where this love for animals becomes sexual. So, whilst the whole thing is nice to look at, ultimately it fails as a documentary, simply because I didn't learn a damn thing. One issue the movie does inevitably bring up is the whole morality of the situation. Let's admit it, the idea of a guy wanting to be boned by a horse is fairly sick and disgusting. But more importantly, it's also really, really funny, so I wasn't too concerned. There's a minor reference involving a horse giving a blow job to another horse, suggesting that these guys trained horses to put on sexual performances for them. That's a touch more worrying but, once again, the mental image of a bunch of dudes having a circle-jerk to some wicked horse-on-horse action is just so damn hilarious that I'm unable to work up any moral outrage. Fact is, the horses weren't hurt, physically or emotionally, in any way. Are the actions of these guys any more exploitative than training a horse to run real fast so we can all place bets on it? Nope, don't think so. So, if you watch this movie, then enjoy all the sumptuous visuals, but don't judge these guys too harshly because, at the end of the day, they're just harmless perves. Aren't we all?

• Moody exploration of zoophilia in Washington State

  fertilecelluloid2007-05-10

  If you have ever seen the "Mr. Hands" video, you will get more out of this film. "Mr. Hands" was a short video depicting a man having anal sex with a horse. Suddenly, the horse thrusts violently into the man and ruptures his colon. He died several hours later of internal bleeding. The man was part of a Seattle-based group of zoophiles who met occasionally in a non-judgemental environment where they would discuss and indulge in their fetish for animal love. Robinson Devor's examination of this group uses audio recordings, on-camera interviews, and actors to recreate the events that led up to the death of Mr. Hands, a father of one and employee of Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer. What's so amazing about this doc is the cinematography by Sean Kirby and the brilliant score by Paul Mathew Moore. Devor uses these powerful elements to create a deliberately discomforting vibe to accompany his always interesting revelations. Although the director scoots around the precise details of the Mr. Hands incident, he packs his film with fascinating detail and even-handed debate. The film explores what zoophilia (animal love) is and avoids demonizing its subjects. Although I found the recent British TV doco, "Animal Passions" (also reviewed), a more thorough exploration of this incendiary subject with unbelievable on-camera interviews, "Zoo" is effective for the atmosphere and sense of time and place it creates. Highly recommended.

• An understanding view of something almost impossible to understand.

  ben-15802007-03-07

  What job as a film maker is harder than to show the human side of something most would agree is so perverse as to appear unhuman? This film delves into the psyche and social constructs of a group of people and depicts it in such a way that I can honestly say I understand WHY it happened. I don't sympathize personally, but the characters were made human in a way I truly didn't think would be possible to portray. Even if you don't agree (and most won't) with the sentiment of the characters involved, and even if you find the subject matter abhorrent, you honestly could view this film and walk away with something useful from the experience.