The Zookeeper's Wife

Starring: Jessica Chastain, John Heldenbergh, Daniel Bruhl, Timothy Radford, Efrat Dor, Iddo Goldberg
Directed by: Niki Caro
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Antonina (Jessica Chastain) and Jan (John Heldenbergh) Zabinski use their zoo in Warsaw to shelter Jewish people being hunted by NAZIs during World War II.

Review:

Tim: I'd read Diane Ackerman's book based on the true story of Antonina and Jan, so I was familiar with their lives before starting this movie. Her book was interesting, but as it was very fact-based, it occasionally missed a sense of the truly dramatic. While the Zabinskis' lives were fascinating, they weren't exactly made for a movie. So, I was interested to see how Niki Caro would adapt their story for this entertainment drama. For the most part, the adaptation works. There were a few things that bothered me, but for the most part, this is a solid, enjoyable movie.

The film does a good job of visually depicting the book. You really get a sense for Warsaw during the NAZI occupation. That aspect of the film was strong. Visually, the movie is impressive, in terms of costume design and production design. The zoo makes for a different, unique visual and the film doesn't disappoint in this regard.

The film does a good job of depicting the relationship between Antonina and Jan. It's fascinating that in the book, while Jan routinely acts heroically, the story is more about his wife. It was a brilliant move, because Antonina's story is powerful in a quieter way. She really is the heroine here. The movie follows this wisely. We get to see some of Jan's exploits, but he is certainly the supporting character of this story. Jessica Chastain is good as Antonina. Chastain is a really strong actress and she works well in this role. While in the hands of a more accomplished director, Chastain's part could have been Oscar worthy, in this case, Chastain is a level or two below that. She gives a good performance, but it's never a great one. I'd be shocked if she wasn't completely overlooked at the end of the year awards. Johan Heldenbergh is good as Jan, but like the character, he doesn't make a giant impression on the film. Daniel Bruhl is well cast Lutz Heck and gives a strong antagonistic performance. Unfortunately, the depiction of Heck is easily the biggest complaint I have about the film.

In the book, it's suggested that Heck had feelings for Antonina. That's about all we know. In the film, he is depicted as the villain, a man who will go to extreme lengths due to his feelings for her. There are some uncomfortable moments in the film that paint Heck as a terrible person- and they're all completely fabricated. None of the most dramatic, intense moments with Heck actually happened. That really rubbed me the wrong way. I know that the film needed a villain for dramatic purposes, but it felt wrong to construct a villain out of a character who never behaved the way he's depicted. I think there were other ways to achieve similar purposes.

Now, this film had a big job to translate the book into a movie. Even still, the film felt a little long at 2 hours, 7 minutes. The Zabinskis' story is interesting, but it's only rarely riveting. It felt like this movie could have been a dramatic, exciting, memorable saga. It never reaches those heights. I'm not sure Niki Caro is a talented enough director to create the kind of compelling drama this film should have been. She does a good job of adapting the story to the big screen, but this movie never feels like it gets close to greatness. This is a good movie and it's worthwhile to see the Zabinskis on screen. However, I never loved The Zookeeper's Wife, and that had nothing to do with the book being "better" than the movie. I thought the book was good, but I wasn't blown away by it. I felt no attachment to needing to see certain scenes depicted. I just wanted a great movie (I got a good one instead).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Water for Elephants, The Pianist