Day 42: Zoo (2007)

In July 2005, Kenneth Pinyan died from a perforated colon which was the result of having anal sex with a full grown stallion. This death made not only state news, but also national and international news. It threw the legislative body of Washington state into a state of panic who quickly introduce beastiality laws. Robinson Devour, in 2007, released this documentary attempting to examine Zoos, and Kenneth's death.

This was one of the oddest documentaries I've ever seen, and not only because of the content. The way the documentary was shot was the most odd thing about it. Devour, the director, interviewed many Zoos, short for Zoophile, who commented on their love of animals and on Kenneth, known as Mr. Hands. Most of these Zoos did not want to appear in the film, and as such, a large majority of the film is a mix of either Zoos or people concerned with the aftermath of the death of Kenneth speaking with no synced picture. The majority of the footage involves actors acting out scenes as described by the voices - though not sexual scenes, but rather other almost mundane scenes. For example, Coyote, one of the Zoos, explains how he lived in a small town and how the Internet changed everything, and how people sent him money to let him move to Washington where he could meet other Zoos - and while this is happening we are shown shots of a small town, of someone sitting on a porch using a laptop, of Coyote sitting on a bus with fields passing by outside the window. Basically the video provides filler for the audio he has recorded. I really didn't find that any of the visual added to the film at all, and the content could just as easily have been delivered by radio -though, I guess, to a much smaller audience. It's just odd to see film used as a medium to deliver a message that is almost entirely audio in nature.

As much of the film rests on this audio collection, the film lacks any real depth since many Zoos are reluctant to speak in too much depth. Instead, Devour provides a glimpse into the world of Zoophiles but nothing more. While he attempts to provide insight from both Zoos and police and the family of Kenneth, there is a leaning towards the Zoos. This film, despite the graphic nature of the act, is very sobering, tasteful and not disrespectful - it's just a shame, in my opinion, that the film is so heavy on the lyrical/poetic side.