Checkpoint Zoo

This is one of the best, if not the best documentary I have ever seen. It is a compelling story of love in the face of war. If you have compassion for innocents enough so you would you risk your life for them? In the face of animals trapped between warring armies, these zookeepers, neighbours, and volunteers became the heroes we need.

This is a superhero documentary.

I've never reviewed a movie before, but then again, this isn't a movie, but a documentary. All aspects are stunning. If you're an animal lover, your heart will be touched. If you care about humans who love animals, you'll especially appreciate the selflessness and sacrifices made by those who worked to save these animals.

This is not much of a spoiler, but the name of the place isn't actually Checkpoint Zoo. Feldman Ecopark was in the middle of the early days of the unprovoked brutal full-scale war by russia against Ukraine. The name of the documentary will make sense when you watch it.

Scattered humorous scenes and reflections after the fact contrast powerfully with the stark terror that the animals and their rescuers experienced. Those moments of relief are needed because the average viewer would probably be overwhelmed otherwise.

I'm not sure if I'm an average viewer or not, but I'm crying as I write this a day after I saw it.

Slava Ukraini Glory to Ukraine!

This film is not worthy of your time. This is not to say that the subject of "Checkpoint Zoo" is unworthy-far from it. The documentary, from director Joshua Zeman, bravely attempts to shine a light on one of the most heartbreaking and often overlooked casualties of human conflict: the animals. The premise is one of immense promise and inherent drama: a group of dedicated volunteers risking their lives amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine to rescue thousands of animals from a zoo near Kharkiv. You want this film to succeed. You want it to be a testament to compassion in the face of chaos.

But the finished product, I am sorry to report, is a cinematic muddle, a film that fumbles its powerful subject matter with a narrative that is both disjointed and strangely manipulative. Zeman, who has proven his talents with documentaries like "Cropsey" and "The Loneliest Whale," seems to have forgotten a fundamental rule of storytelling: do not exploit your audience's empathy, earn it. The film, in its chaotic, sometimes baffling editing, careens from one harrowing moment to the next, often without giving the viewer a clear emotional anchor. The constant use of raw, shaky camera footage from cell phones and GoPros, while initially effective in conveying the immediacy of the conflict, quickly becomes a crutch, preventing any kind of coherent narrative from taking shape. Instead of a powerful, focused story, we are left with a series of jarring and disconnected clips that fail to build any meaningful tension or emotional arc.

The result is a film that feels less like a tribute to bravery and more like a rushed assembly of tragedy. It is a work that, for all its good intentions, manages to turn a deeply moving and heroic story into a surprisingly hollow experience. It is a shame, for the story of these volunteers deserves to be told with grace, clarity, and the kind of narrative purpose that Zeman's other work has so often possessed. But this film, for all its heart, simply misses the mark. It gets a resounding thumbs down.

A heart-shredding yet hopeful look at a handful of heroes who dare to rescue nearly 5000 animals from a zoo on the front lines. A magnificent and terrifying true story of heroism and bravery that proves that humans can be animals, while ordinary humans can accomplish extraordinary things.

There is so much heartbreak and hope in equal measure. I can't remember being so moved by a documentary. It felt like I was watching the Schindler's List of zoo animals. I feel like I'll need several days to fully process what I've seen, and I know many moments in this film will follow me for life.

Everyone in the world should see this incredible film.