Eunoia suggests: We bought a zoo

Even though ‘We bought a Zoo’ is a movie which entails spectacularly shot scenes of lions within enclosures, wild bears, and snakes slithering around, it could neither pass off as an environmental film nor as a wildlife one. It’s a slice-of-life film which deals with the devastation of losing a loved one, the silent melancholy that follows, and learning to let go as ultimately, life goes on. The film also talks about how growing up doesn’t necessarily mean letting go of your streak for adventure and passion. The film has its heart in the right place as it beautifully deals with profound topics like death, loneliness, love, and passion.

The film begins with Benjamin Mee, the protagonist of the story, wearing a protection suit and standing amidst a thousand killer bees whilst talking about his experience. He is introduced as an adventure writer who has travelled all over the world, participating in the craziest, most amazing adventures. However, he goes through a life-altering change after the death of his wife. Not knowing how to deal with this loss, he bottles up his emotions and decides to concentrate on being a single parent to his two children. His son, a rebellious teenager who expresses his angst through his art, and a very young daughter, who is his only beacon of love and affection, are the only family he is left with. In order to break the monotony of a dysfunctional family life, Benjamin decides to move into a new home where they could start life afresh. After a lot of house-hunting, they finally decide to buy an abandoned and neglected zoo which had been inactive since a long time. As the new owner of the place, Benjamin decides to dedicate his time to rebuilding and restructuring the house as well as the zoo in order to re-open it. While his son Dylan struggles with this new change, his daughter is ecstatic to be in the presence of lovable porcupines and adorable baby ducks and chicks. As they work towards rebuilding the zoo, Benjamin gets close to Kelly Foster, the head Zoo-keeper who, along with the staff team (which includes a man with a capuchin on his shoulder, mind you.), helps Benjamin in all his endeavours. Our hero’s struggles of reconnecting with his son, making peace with the loss of his wife, financing the zoo, and keeping the adventure in his heart alive, form the basic crux of the film. Through the duration of the movie, we also see Dylan’s side of the story as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his mother and learns the true meaning of love.

‘We bought a Zoo’ is based on the true story of Benjamin Mee, who took over Dartmoor Zoological Park. The movie doesn’t get overtly philosophical and sappy at any given point of time despite dealing with emotional topics. It is a film about experiencing deep loss and the journey towards acceptance, recuperation, and re-connecting with the people you love. It’s a fresh take on the ’family drama’ genre, and manages to keep you invested in the emotions of the characters. I also feel compelled to mention the exquisite background score that sets the mood of this movie right from the start till the end. There are certain stand-out moments in the film that escalate its emotional quotient to greater heights, especially the scenes between Benjamin and Spar, the Bengal tiger that needs to be ‘put to sleep’ due to his fragile condition, the gorgeous montage shots of the zoo animals within their enclosures and the chirping birds. The cast of the film comprises Matt Damon, who portrays the character of Benjamin, and Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Foster, along with a hoard of other extremely talented actors. Though predictable, the end of the film will definitely bring a smile to your face. This is one Zoo we definitely recommend you visit!

• Devisha Narekuli