Episode 532: The Zookeeper (2001)

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The second film in our tribute to the late Sam Neill is a small, independent film that most have never heard of, but one where Neill gives a truly outstanding performance. In 2001's "The Zookeeper," director Ralph Ziman takes us to civil war-torn Eastern Europe, where life has become a daily shelling barrage and a fight for survival. The local Zoo has lost most of its staff, save for an immigrant veterinarian (Om Puri) and a former Communist Party official turned zookeeper, Ludovic (Sam Neill). Even when everyone else flees the city, Ludovic stays to take care of the animals. He finds a young boy, Zioig (Javor Loznica), shell-shocked from the war, but who has taken a liking to the wolves in one of the exhibits, who he reluctantly takes in. Zioig end up bringing his mother, Ankica (Gina McKee) to the Zoo as well, and the three form an uneasy trio, fighting to keep the animals alive as well as hiding mother and son from the local militia, who have taken the title "The Young Lions," led by local warlord Dragov (Ulrich Thomsen). A stirring story that shows, rather than tells, the true horrors of war and how the innocent alwasy suffer, even if they're animals. Plus, the gents reveal which two hard Sci-Fi films make up the next pairing!

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