Yes No Maybe So: "The Zookeeper's Wife"
Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 7:00PM 
No matter how many times we hear the story of World War II and The Holocaust it seems like we're still susceptible to forgetting their lessons. But at least filmmakers and novelists around the world tried to warn us to never forget. In our current climate where hate crimes are skyrocketing and a demagogue prepares to ascend to his throne after blaming our nation's problems on immigrants, how painful is it going to be to watch World War II movies?
Oh look here's another one...
Despite Hollywood's insistence on making each quarter of the year a ghetto for a specific type of movie, a few resistant fighters remain for counter programming. So in March we get a historical war drama The Zookeeper's Wife based on the bestseller of the same name starring Jessica Chastain in the title role. Let's do a Yes No Maybe So on the trailer...
YES
- Jessica Chastain is always a plus as are animals. I haven't read the book but the setting is an intriguing and different choice for this type of narrative. One can assume the animals were treated well on the film since Chastain is an animal lover and vegan.
- Apparently we still need these stories told over and over again. Which...foolish me for thinking we had had more than we needed on World War II. [Sigh]
- Loved all the interior shots of the home. So much wallpaper. So I looked up the production designer. It's Suzie Davies who did just impeccable work on Mike Leigh's Mr Turner recently (Oscar nomination)
NO
- "Good morning. Enjoy your day..." not sure what to make of Jessica's accent here. Perhaps accents aren't her gift? Although it's always hard to tell about voice work in the very limited confines of heavily edited trailers
- Can someone please rescue Daniel Brühl from always having to play Nazis? He has to be bored with it by now. He's such a good actor and he can also be warm onscreen but he's stuck in Evil German typecasting now.
MAYBE SO
- Is the zoo setting enough to give this film a different angle and help it feel fresh?
- The film might be interesting to look at if not typically "handsome" like Oscar-hopeful productions. The cinematography is by Andrij Parekh who has tended towards gritter indie fare like Blue Valentine and Half Nelson
- There's really no single MOMENT in this trailer to make it a must see, is there.
Are you a Yes No or a Maybe So here?
Reader Comments (29)
I like Chastain but she along with Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, star in way too many movies. It's actually annoying. You don't have to say yes to everything! Make us miss you for once, geez.
Never settle for supporting actress Jess. Keep booking these dead end Oscar baits until someone gives you another Zero Dark Thirty level break.
I'm 100% with Lola (that happens to be my favorite name, by the way)
Jessica seems desperate to get an Oscar. Relax!
I was expecting to see Zookeeper's Wife this year, not Miss Sloane.
I hope it's a good movie, well-made Holocaust films are always so powerful and so relevant.
Jessica seems desperate to get an Oscar. Relax!
She's pushing 40 she's fighting for the elusive Best Actress statuette. You only need to win it once to matter unless of course you're the actress who won in 1975 (film year not ceremony year).
Chastain should be holding that 2012 Best Actress Oscar in her hands so I'm totally fine with her working constantly.
With THREE leads, next year might really be hers to lose:
* The Zookeeper's Wife
* Molly's Game
* Woman Walks Ahead
I'm a bit tired of films that take place in non-English speaking countries and the actors speak English... with an accent!!! WTF?
I like her. But sometime before Oscar visits her.
"I don't think we really need another film about the Holocaust, do we? It's like, how many have there been? You know, we get it - it was grim, move on. No, I'm doing it because I've noticed that if you do a film about the Holocaust - guaranteed Oscar!"
kate winslet - extras
Lol @ your Bruhl comment
Chastain is great. I'm fine with her working a lot; plus he is a red head. However I do get annoyed with her fans that fawn over her every performance (great or not).
A solid no for me. Like war movies, holocaust movies have been beaten to death and I can only watch the ones made by true masters at this point as they may bring a level of unprecedented nuance. And guess what, true masters are not interested in making them anymore. In her hunt for oscar, Chastain seems to have moved away from taking true risks and making truly challenging movies. It's a shame and I hope she returns to Zero Dark Thirty level work.
German, Chinese, Russian, Alien and Arab actors have got to be sick of playing these redundant hyper evil characters in American movies at this point.
Co-sign marcos
"There's really no single MOMENT in this trailer to make it a must see, is there."
Yeah, I mean just look at your Yeses. Chastain & wallpaper - not much else going on here. I'd call this a No for now but who knows, if it gets great reviews maybe...
Yes. It's Chastain. She's one of our best. As for the opinion she works too much, that's impossible when you have this oversized talent. And with the ruthless ageism facing women in Hollywood, I'm glad she's taking these many and varied opportunities.
" In her hunt for oscar, Chastain seems to have moved away from taking true risks and making truly challenging movies."
THIS.
I really like Chastain but she has bored me to tears recently and I couldn't put my finger on why. Her choice in roles have been such typical Oscar bait that she has stopped making the challenging, bold films we've loved her for. I'm thinking of Tree of Life, Take Shelter, Zero Dark Thirty (my favorite of hers). Even in small roles like The Help she shined and brought life to. Her commercial movies recently- like Interstellar and The Martian- she has brought nothing to. Sorry. I'm looking forward to Molly's Game, however.
Aaron, no offense, but how could anybody be bored by her performances in A Most Violent Year and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby--both highly creative and riveting star turns that rely on both originality and charisma.
The problem is that by now the images seem to familiar even with the zoo animals added to the mix- yes it does look like prime Oscar bait
Someone's thirsty for Oscar and I ain't mad for it
Her hair looks nice.
Fassbender, Vikander, and Michael Shannon work waaaay too much...I would imagine it's very easy to work a lot when your in such demand (especially when you don't have children)...still, two film projects a year is more than enough for any leading actor. Funny, only cinephiles and industry folk would really notice if these actors work too often though; the casual moviegoer not so much.
Nevertheless, Molly's Game, Plus One, and Painkiller Jane seem promising for Chastain.
Oops, your=you're...don't fault me please...hee.
Shannon isn't as bad as an offender as he works supporting and smallish roles semi regularly, so I don't see any problem with that.
All this crazy about working too much. First of all, actors don't control release dates. Second of all, you betta werq when the work is there. And most actors nowadays work a lot less than Bette Davis or Cary Grant in their heydays.
Also: Crimson Peak.
I agree that all the talk about actors working too much is a little silly and kind of bratty and out of touch. When the work is there you work. Hard for millenials to understand but actors are not puppets created purely to satisfy their viewing wishes and an actor is going to sign up for roles as they come. The assumption is that you can skip a movie you dont want to watch. That said people start feeling they're being overexposed to an actor when that actor makes dull choices or dull-ish choices. Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman went through the same thing. After she list her oscar to a more traditional it-girl Blanchett was in all sorts of dull dramatic roles (the missing, Charlotte Grey, an ideal husband....). And people were always accusing of working too much. All good performances but the movies were in no way memorable. I think the same is happening here. Hopefully Chastain can find a director that can match her talent and surroundherby a worthy movie
Why all the complaints that an actor works too much? That's so stupid. How DARE they hone their craft or work while the getting is good. It's also never the actor's fault when the movies come out. If you like the actor, you should be thankful that he or she is still getting work.
It looks we have another The Monuments Men; once a high profile movie dumped in March because it is actually too bad.
It's a Yes from me because I love Jessica. Also, because of this: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/jessica-chastain-pens-essay-female-845818
At the end of the day, it's the actor's decision to take as much or as little work as they want...the comments on this board refer to LEADING actors who have reached a level where they have the choice and the means to work whenever they are inspired to do so ...we're not talking about fresh-out-of-school actors or yeoman working actors here.
"...actors who have reached a level" etc. That is just not how the industry works, especially when it comes to women. Ask Michelle Williams, for example.