Au royaume des fauves

Back in 2008 I worked for Joe Exotic for about 9 months, 4 of which were on the road and maybe 5 at the animal park. I've seen the doc and in my experience working with him and being at the park I really don't have anything bad to say about the guy based on what I lived personally being around the whole thing

there's obviously some sensationalism involved in the doc, some things are accurate and some things aren't but that's the nature of these kind of things.

...but soon wears off. To be honest after a while I just continued to watch it because I wanted to see how it ends, it wasn't really that entertaining anymore. What also leaves a somewhat sour taste in my mouth is that a large part of the appeal of the series is based on the fact that you don't really know how much of what is being said by the different characters is true or not, and then when you dig a little bit deeper you also start to wonder where and when the filmmakers are maybe not telling the whole story anymore. In my opinion definitely not worth to be called a documentary. Still, as mentioned in the beginning, it's difficult to stop watching once you started, in that regard it is much like a bag of chips: the first couple of hands you grab seem to be delicious, after a while you are not continuing because it tastes good but because it's just the right combination of fat, carbs and salt to please a prehistoric part of your brain, and after you finished emptying the whole bag, you pretty quickly realize that the whole experience just wasn't worth it.

If I'm honest I almost gave up on this after the first episode, I'm not a huge documentary fan but took the advice of friends, by episode two I was hooked.

What starts off as a feud over caged wild animals (Sure we all have our own views on that subject) turns into a crazy tale of attempted murder. Along the way you will learn of hypocrisy, lies, jealousy, multiple husbands, and genuinely some of the most bizarre behaviour imaginable.

Some intriguing footage, it's almost as if the outcome was expected.

I won't spin any theories, or give personal opinions, but more than just one person should be in Jail.

Some of the people have wild animals and guns, I would feel uneasy with them owning water pistols and kippers. Only in America.

Baffling to say the least, but utterly engaging and totally addictive. 8/10.

Filmed over the course of several years by clearly passionate and committed filmmakers, this superb series takes many gripping twists and turns. I watched for seven hours straight, only breaking to Google every now and then.

Although it's about the exotic animal business in the USA, it actually has multiple layers of interwoven themes.

Populated by flawed humans interacting with magnificent animals, nobody is presented as a pure goodie or a baddie - every real-life character has elements of both, presented in such an insightful way that you'll find your opinions and loyalties shifting as you get carried along on this interesting journey.

Perfectly paced, great soundtrack, interesting bonus to have the main protagonist's "own" music featured. I finished this feeling educated and entertained, sad and conflicted, curious and fascinated.

It's a highly recommended experience.

I feel better about my life decisions after watching this. It's an amazing documentary about a world I never knew existed. MUST WATCH!