Zoo

This is Niya. This week we watched Zoo, a 2007 documentary chronicling the people and events surrounding the death of man who had been engaging in sex with a horse. Zoo, short for zoophile, is the term used widely by the men in the documentary to explain their sexual interest in animals. In my opinion, the film fell short in many areas. While going to extreme lengths to no sensationalize or mock the situation, the film also does not manage to portray a humanizing (or really any) viewpoint of the men.

My disconnect with opening scenes of the documentary colored my entire experience. I was quite willing, and honestly excited, to put aside the social stigmas surrounding bestiality in order to hear the frame of mind of those who practice. Zoo does not give the viewer a chance. The first forty minutes of the film is so obscured with eerie music and prolonged scenery shots, if you did not know the premise of the film, you could believe these men were engaging in a multitude of socially unaccepted philias. This documentary provides such a limited image of the men and their sexual practices; it was as though I walked away from the film knowing less.

The man in question throughout the film is only ever referred to as Mr. Hands, furthering my connection to the men in this film as human beings. It can be argued that such little attention is given to the identity of Mr. Hands as to not sensationalize the film; however, the other men speaking throughout the film also fail to address any personal beliefs or concerns. I was so eager to learn about their personal lives in a frank and honest manner, but the film neglected to address either. If the intended audience of this documentary was persons who wanted to learn about zoophiles, this film is simply a waste of time.

 In total, it seems the documentary does not address any issue the general public may hope to have answered or provide personal understandings by zoophiles of their desires. Perhaps those involved in the film were too afraid of upsetting or insulting viewers, but instead they chose an option which this viewer found uninteresting. Maybe in time another documentary will come along and address these social and mental issues concerning zoophilia. Then through the words of zoophiles, we as a society can learn about this much marginalized truth about human sexuality.