In the 1930’s Warsaw Poland had one of the foremost zoos in Europe. All that changed on Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. The Germans cut a swath of horror through the country. The zoo is not spared.
Zookeeper Zabinski and wife Antonia (Jessica Chastain) do their best to protect the animals and to sequester them underground where possible. Nazi Dr. Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl) is assigned to survey the zoo and design a super beast that may be a blueprint for the future. Antonia shifts her attention to preserving another endangered species: Jews. Her catacombs are perfect places to change appearances, create bogus identity cards, and point refugees to safety.
Action and intrigue are skillfully interwoven but Chastain’s make-up is far too perfect for wartime Warsaw. Be aware of the phrase You disgust me. which had the distaff attendees cheering. “Zookeeper’s Wife” gets a solid B rating. It is currently showing at Rialto Theater in The Villages.
Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com