We Bought a Zoo

Yesterday I saw We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.

Benjamin (Damon) just wants to make life better for his family. He recently lost his beloved wife and his teenage son is suffering from a horrible depression. He quits his job and decides to move the family to the country—to a zoo—and begin a new chapter of life.

Crazy? Absolutely. But sincere and genuine too, which Damon conveys almost painfully well.

Soon Benjamin is fighting the crush he has on his zookeeper, Kelly (Johansson), and trying to scrape together enough money to re-open the zoo, all the while dealing with his angry son and his sweet little daughter, who seems to be the most balanced of the entire bunch.

The kids who play the children, Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones, are wonderful. Sure, they're cute, but they're in no, way, shape or form annoying (which often happens in these family flicks).

And did I mention this is a family flick that was directed by Seattle stud Cameron Crowe?

Were it not for the cool music that accompanied key scenes of the film, I dare say I would not have recognized his style at all. This film is a far cry from Almost Famous, but maintains the same heart and honesty that's at the core of his best films.

Is it predictable? Sure. Does it stray from the real-life story maybe a little too much? I'd say so.

But that doesn't mean it's not a satisfying, sweet departure from some of the heavier films out this season.

~~~

Zoo

Tonight I saw Zoo, a disturbing docudrama about a community of people who have sexual relationships with horses and other farm animals.

What possessed me to sit through this?

Well—the fact that the story it's based on made major headlines in my state, and that horrible curiosity I'm plagued with because I'm human. Thankfully, I had a friend who was just as curious as me, so we went to the film together (as this was not a flick I wanted to show up for alone).

Anyway, the movie details the events of the summer of 2005 as told by some of the members of the 'zoo' community who were present and the horse 'rescuer' who took possession of the animal after the incident.

What happened was, a group of men would meet at an Enumclaw, Washington ranch (after making initial contact through a zoo chat room), have drinks, watch movies and take the party outside. I don't need to be more graphic than that.

And what transpired one July night is what the entire film focuses on—one man—a divorced, father of one and engineer for Boeing, bled to death after intercourse with one of the horses.

Horrific, eh?

Yes. And what's more horrific is that by all accounts (save for the zoo habit), this guy was a productive, taxpaying member of society who boasted a promising career, loved his kid and had a great friendship with his ex-wife.

So how did he get there?

That's the problem with this movie. We have no idea.

Although the interviews are honest and meditative, they don't really offer any insight into why these individuals don't seek partnership with members of their own species. If I went into the theater wanting to learn anything tonight, it's how the hell some people find themselves so mentally messed up that they prefer the stimulation of an animal to a human.

But nothing about the film answered that question—and it's not exactly something you want to have in your browsing history should you decide to investigate for yourself.

If anything good came of the incident, it's that beastiality is now illegal in Washington state (it wasn't at the gentleman's time of death) and perhaps the awareness the movie will bring will make ranch owners check up on their livestock more often.

And I thought I'd seen it all...