Documentary on beastiality premieres at Sundance Film Festival

Sun sentinel ^ | January 21 2007, 6:39 PM EST | Kenneth Turan

[Esther Ruth]

Documentary on beastiality premieres at Sundance Film Festival

By Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times Posted January 21 2007, 6:39 PM EST

PARK CITY, Utah -- "Zoo" is a documentary about what director Robinson Devor accurately characterizes as "the last taboo, on the boundary of something comprehensible." But remarkably, an elegant, eerily lyrical film has resulted.

"Zoo," premiering before a rapt audience Saturday night at Sundance, manages to be a poetic film about a forbidden subject, a perfect marriage between a cool and contemplative director (the little-seen "Police Beat") and potentially incendiary subject matter: sex between men and animals. Not graphic in the least, this strange and strangely beautiful film combines audio interviews (two of the three men involved did not want to appear on camera) with elegiac visual re-creations intended to conjure up the mood and spirit of situations. The director himself puts it best: "I aestheticized the sleaze right out of it."

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[RichInOC]

I don't blame you at all.

[Thrownatbirth]

with elegiac visual re-creations intended to conjure up the mood and spirit of situations

It is precisely those "situations" that I care not to visualize.

[muawiyah]

It's not surprising that the Sundance audience was able to conjur up the imagery in their minds.

[Always Right]

Funny, this story was inappropriate to post last night and got pulled, but today it seems OK.

[zerosix]

It certainly gives clarity to the occupation of those Brokeback guys: Sheepherders (cowboys, horse whisperers, lion tamers, etc.)

[frogjerk]

I just found Robert Redford dealing with this at his film festival was pretty gross ...... especially eight years after his beautiful movie, “ Horse Whisperer”.

Maybe for Mr Redford it all started with a whisper...

[GoldCountryRedneck]

And where is PETA?????????

*crickets*

Sleaze is sleaze - aestheticized or not.

[nctexan]

The working title was "Hillary and Bill: the Early Years"

[frogjerk]

SHEEPY: "Where is that Mr. Redford...I'm ready for my scene now."

[kalee]

"an elegant, eerily lyrical film"


Somehow I doubt it.

[beyond the sea]

Maybe for Mr Redford it all started with a whisper...

ROFL!

I must say that I do rely on FR for the humor in my life.

;-)

[timsbella]

Where is PETA's outrage?

[timsbella]

You beat me to it! I guess Peta doesn't mind a fella wearing animal skin in this manner (ew).

Someone posted this was "rock bottom", but I have to say it's what you'd find under the rock instead.

[Bernard Marx]

I just found Robert Redford dealing with this at his film festival was pretty gross ...... especially eight years after his beautiful movie, “ Horse Whisperer”.

Hoo-weee! What was dat horse sayin'?

[weegee]

"Zoo" is a documentary about what director Robinson Devor accurately characterizes as "the last taboo, on the boundary of something comprehensible."

Incest and intergenerational affairs are also taboo and more likely to remain so than bestiality. Zoophilia is legal in many states so long as it occurs where no one can see it. Not so the other pairings.

The Sex Positive agenda seeks to end all moral judgements against ALL sexual pairings regardless of sex, age, relation, marital status, number, or species of partner, Santorum was correct about defining deviancy downward.

[weegee]

Whisper sweet nothin's in that horse's ear and find out.

[andy58-in-nh]

Just when you think we've reached the bottom....they keep digging.

It's only a matter of time before Vermont starts issuing the marriage licenses.

[newzjunkey]

It's supposedly a documentary. I don't know if that means it would show the downside or just the perspective of those involved in Seattle.

This isn't the first time sex with animals has been in a feature film. I vaguely recall there was a sheep oral sex scene in "Revenge of the Nerds" (or similar film) and, more recently, I heard a Jim Carrey character was involved in on-screen bestiality.