3 Goes for the Movies

Recently, I've viewed three films that I enjoyed enough to recommend. First is The Zookeeper's Wife, followed by Born in China, and then Jeremiah Tower.

The Zookeeper's Wife is a strong story about a woman who dares to defy the political climate in her war-torn country by hiding Jews in the bombed-out zoo where she lives with her family. She devises a way to pick up the Jews, transport them through the German lines, and hide and feed them until they can be transported to safety. It was a daring act of courage, but well worth the efforts she made. I give this film an A- primarily because all the characters speak with an accent, and I find that tedious over the long-run.

Born in China is the moving story of three families of wild animals: the giant panda, the wild monkey, and the leopard. Each of these families have to live in ruggedly isolated terrain to be able to survive as their dietary needs depend on nature. The families are followed through an entire year of life, and it is interesting to engage with the animals in nature and see what the struggle for survival means to them. This is not a children's film, but older children who like animals will enjoy it. This film earns a solid A.

Jeremiah Tower is the biography of a well-known chef who suffered through a challenging early life, and then had three pivotal life-changing events as an adult. The look at his life is told through flash-backs interwoven with contemporary narrative by Jeremiah Tower himself. He fights valiantly for his career in fine dining, but with each step of his career comes an event that collapses what he's worked so hard to achieve. The end of the film is left open: is he permanently out of the food business or just waiting for another chance to fulfill his life-long dream to prepare the best food for patrons who will appreciate his talent. This film earns a strong B+ because it leaves the story open-ended, which I felt would have been better with an actual conclusion.