Human Zoo (2009) User Reviews

A Promising Story Lost in a Messy Screenplay

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 31 October 2010]

In Marseille, the young Serbian-Albanian Adria Shala (Rie Rasmussen) is an illegal immigrant traumatized by her past. Every now and then Adria recalls his life in Kosovo, when she was saved from rape by the deserter Srdjan Vasiljevic (Nikola Djuricko) in 1999. They move to Belgrade where Srdjan becomes a gangster, dealing weapons and assassinating persons. Adria learns how to shoot and helps Srdjan in his jobs first and then she becomes his mistress. When Adria meets the American drifter Shawn Reagan (Nick Corey) and she falls in love with him. But sooner she is haunted by her past and is betrayed.

"Human Zoo" is a promising story of war, violence, prejudice, love and betrayal supported by excellent performances but lost in a messy screenplay. The director, writer and lead actress Rie Rasmussen is stunning in the role of Adria, but unfortunately the screenplay is very confused and in the end I am not sure whether Srdjan or Shawn has betrayed her or she was arrested simply because of the slaughter in the house of tanning and prostitution. The sex scenes are very graphic and the violence is well choreographed and realistic. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Human Zoo"

Huge Directorial Debut

[Charbax · 8/10 · 19 April 2009]

This nearly two hour film has everything, it's funky, it's action- packed, it feels like a fresh take on The Godfather from a feminine perspective. If it had more traveling shots, smoother and sharper cinematography, more fiction and less time spent on realism and facts, I'd give it 9/10 stars. It's a bit hard to describe, it goes many places and includes a lot of ideas, a bit like society today. It's the Human Zoo. Probably inspired by Quentin Tarantino, Luc Besson and many others. Get into this movie with a open mind, and you will experience Rie Rasmussen's artistic vision, her enthusiasm, her poetry, her timing, her style.

I am definitely looking forward to Rie Rasmussen's next film projects!

My best Berlinale '09 film

[katchita · 9/10 · 20 February 2009]

Not for the faint at heart, Human Zoo takes up the sociopathy of betrayal, in the context of love and war. Writer/director Rie Rasmussen also plays the main character, a woman of mixed Serbian-Albanian parentage narrowly saved from rape or worse in 1999 Kosovo by a man who is, aside from a quirky feminist streak, strictly psychopathic. During her subsequent time with him in the anarchic mafiadom of Belgrade, the camera returns to her wrist wounds from the war. She worries them open again and again; we see quiet drops of blood, richly red, artistic, fall onto an etched glass bowl in one scene, contrasting with some of the more effective portrayals of violence I've seen in recent years in the cinema. We observe the betrayal of nearly every norm of decent society as Rasmussen rages at this world of ours. It's a particularly female form of rage, and I, for one, think it's about time the world take note.

The film was not perfect, with a couple of confused plot twists that may have been due to either over-writing, over-editing or a combination of the two. But when I see this sort of energy in a director's first feature film, that's something to which I play close attention. Lead actor Vojin Cetkovic from Serbia dominates the half of the film that takes place in Kosovo and Serbia. He played a bit role in my to-date, all-time Berlinale favorite, Klopka. He's a thinking-woman's psychopath whose ruminations on the societal constructions intended to make us "human" are the strongest and most startling part of Rasmussen's work. Any actor capable of making me believe someone out there could truly find it more justifiable to kill children ["after all, what do they have: at most, maybe 5, 6, 7 friends?!"] is, strictly speaking, a cinematic genius.

I saw Human Zoo during its second Berlinale screening, and the post-film environment smacked of conspiracy, into which the audience sank with palpable satisfaction. Prior to the screening, Berlinale staff indicated it wouldn't be followed by a Q&A as they didn't believe the director was present. Afterward, however, the supporting male actor, Nick Correy, jumped on stage and angrily denounced Luc Bresson, much of the time without a microphone, until one belatedly surfaced, the Berlinale crew all the while indicating that scheduling didn't allow for a Q&A. He talked about obstacles to the film's financing and production, then Rasmussen showed up very briefly on stage, after which they both took it outside the theater.

Their message was that, short days before the Berlinale, a non-disclosure agreement had been signed and Bresson's name had, from complete absence, been elevated to a prominent place on the credits, this being the first time a film with his involvement had been chosen to open the Berlinale Panorama. Interestingly, IMDb has nothing linking him with this film as of this writing. Outside, the press swirled around (Variety panned it) and I thought to myself, this film will be a hit. We'll see, but with a beautiful, angry and talented actress/ex-model-cum-director/writer at the center of an artistic controversy, it has all the elements. If it actually gets released, then run, don't walk, to see this film.

Right Up There With . . .

[leppjessearnold · 10/10 · 20 November 2016]

This is a brilliant film. The sort of film you watch and then, well, in the old days, rewind the video cassette and watch it again. Maybe one more time before you start to slowly make a judgement concerning it, the characters it has just revealed to you, on the politics of it all. In any case you don't move from the couch until you can get a hold of everything in it. You pay the late-charges for the video rental because you had to watch it one more time the next evening. It's beautiful, violent and musical, sexual thoughtful conflicted and emotional. At its heart is a cold hard truth about watching it. It's a film that's hard to believe is a directorial debut (I believe there is an earlier short film by Rie Rasmussen) and it's a film that has to be seen to be believed no matter what is said about it, bad or good. Kubrick could do it, Tarantino has done it, Rie Rasmussen can do it (and I hope she'll do it again). Once in a while you get a film where the soundtrack the dialogue and the visuals create an engrossing whole. My example is always Bladerunner (Director's Cut). This is right up there with the best films of all time.

HOT

[RainbowVic · 10/10 · 16 March 2023]

This nearly two hour film has everything, it's funky, it's action- packed, it feels like a fresh take on The Godfather from a feminine perspective. If it had more traveling shots, smoother and sharper cinematography, more fiction and less time spent on realism and facts, I'd give it 9/10 stars. It's a bit hard to describe, it goes many places and includes a lot of ideas, a bit like society today. It's the Human Zoo. Probably inspired by Quentin Tarantino, Luc Besson and many others. Get into this movie with a open mind, and you will experience Rie Rasmussen's artistic vision, her enthusiasm, her poetry, her timing, her style.

I am definitely looking forward to Rie Rasmussen's next film projects!