“THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE” was released in April, 2017, and is based on Diane Ackerman’s best selling book by the same name. The movie places us in Warsaw, Poland in 1939, on the brink of Nazi Germany’s occupation. It is set, primarily, at the Warsaw Zoo, and takes us through the heroic and selfless acts of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, the owner/operators of the zoo. Ms. Ackerman’s book was taken from the unpublished diaries of Antonina Zabinski, the Zookeeper’s wife.
The tag line for the movie truly encapsulates the message of the film – “They gave all they had to save all they could. In a nation gripped by fear, one woman finds the power to resist.”
I have few words to relay how this film moved me. Jessica Chastain’s riveting portrayal of Antonina Zabinski grabbed my heart from the very first moment, supported by the compelling Johan Heldenbergh as her husband, Jan.
The Zookeeper’s Wife was very, very difficult to watch – filled with drama, suspense, and heartbreaking devastation; but, when all is done, the story consoles and comforts with the truth that there were (and are) people in this world who practice compassion and goodness, living a life based in love, despite the risk.
I HIGHLY recommend this film.
