Movie Review: Thoughts on “The Zookeeper’s Wife”

This intense film explores the humanity and compassion of a zoologist and his wife who ran the Warsaw Zoo.  It begins in early September, 1939, just before the German invasion of their country, Poland.

The movie is fairly graphic, and shows the extreme plight of the Jewish community of Warsaw who are taken from their shops and homes and forced to wear the Star of David and live in the Nazi-run Jewish Ghetto.

Conditions in the Ghetto go from bad to worse and the couple find that many of their own Jewish friends and colleagues have been locked in the Ghetto, with hardly any food, or fuel.  Winter approaches and the Jews are starving and freezing.  There is no escape from armed German soldiers who block all entrances and exits into the camp.

“The Zookeeper’s Wife” focuses on the bravery and mercy of the young couple who risk their lives as they save Jewish men, women and children from a certain death at the hands of the Nazis.

This is a true story and one of great heroism.  …..over 300 Jews were rescued over a 2- 3 year period. All but two of them escaped the Nazi Holocaust.

For those delicate or sensitive souls, this movie might be quite difficult to digest.  The director is not afraid to give a realistic portrayal of the dangers and degradation that Jewish men, women and children faced daily in the hideous Warsaw Ghetto.

We left the theater in a somber mood, as the subject matter is indeed heart-rending.  Watching innocent little Jewish children being lifted into a cattle car headed for the extermination camps was really tough.  Nazi soldiers using a flame thrower in a synagogue was the worst.  The movie makes its point and then some.

Hopefully we can eradicate anti-Semitism and learn to love one another no matter what our religion, creed, nationality or skin color.  Life is tough enough on this planet!  Let’s learn to love and give of ourselves like the zookeeper’s wife.  We are our brother’s keeper one way or another.