monkeybard | Documentary

I watched a fascinating documentary yesterday titled Zoo. It was made by local filmmakers about an incident in 2005 where a man died after a sexual encounter with a horse. (First off, ow. That's all I can say on that particular point. That aside...) Really. Good. Movie. The cinematography is stunning. They filmed in a very non-documentary fashion and it worked to beautiful results. You got a strong feeling of place and the way things where lit was stunning. The film was very even handed and non-judgmental (as a documentary should be) in presenting what is a controversial topic (and now a felony in WA state). It was respectful to the family of the dead man, which is a very important point, IMO. My only complaint is that it was was awfully oblique in its approach and presentation. If you didn't already know the basics of the story, you would have to be very patient and pay serious attention to figure it out. Otherwise, outstandingly well done. We had some good conversation about it all when we'd finished watching it, too. I need to rent it and watch it again with the filmmakers' commentary. We watched about 10 minutes of that and learned a lot in that short time. All in all, I recommend it.