The Zookeeper’s Wife, starring Jessica Chastain, follows the true story of a Polish family’s mission of using the Warsaw Zoo to hide hundreds of persecuted Jews during the second World War. In the same vein as recent movies like Hidden Figures, Hacksaw Ridge, and Lion, this film sheds light on another lesser known, yet remarkable historical event.

     World War II is always an interesting point in history to set a film. It’s given rise to some of the greatest movies ever made. However, as we get more and more of them, it gets harder and harder to make them stick out from the pack. In that regard, The Zookeeper’s Wife sits right in the middle. The film has a lot of stand out elements. It takes somewhat of a different spin on the usual by focusing on a very unique and notable form of resistance that revolves not only around human characters but also animals. It focuses both on human and animal emotion. You see the suffering that people had to endure to survive the war, while also seeing the humanity and innocence of the animals. The movie truly humanizes the animals it includes. You feel just as much for them as you do for any of the human characters. All the various shots and close-ups of them help to convey the fear, pain, and panic that they feel along with the humans. 

     Another strength of the film lies inherently in its remarkable story. It’s extremely interesting and the movie engages you as you find out more about the events. I would definitely say this deserved a big screen adaptation. It includes similar elements as most World War II movies. Luckily, it felt different enough to standoff its own. 

     There’s nothing in particular that drags down the film. It simply didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped. I’m glad I find out more about this amazing story. At the same time, I don’t see myself wanting to revisit the film anytime soon. That could also be because it’s such a heavy subject matter but I still wouldn’t say it’s a movie that sticks with you for weeks, months, or even years after seeing it.

     The Zookeeper’s Wife is what I would call a great Netflix movie. You might start it, not expecting much of it and end up enjoying it. It’s a perfectly serviceable movie about a remarkable, true event. 7/10