{"id":6625,"date":"2016-10-03T07:32:57","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T06:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=6625"},"modified":"2016-10-08T07:50:41","modified_gmt":"2016-10-08T06:50:41","slug":"zoology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/10\/03\/zoology\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"zoology\"<\/a>
Zoology<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nSeen at Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto (Canada)<\/a>

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nDirector:<\/B> Ivan I. Tvedovsky

\nWriter:<\/B> Ivan I. Tvedovsky

\nCast:<\/B> Natalia Pavlenkova, Dmitry Groshev, Irina Chipizhenko

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Zoologia<\/i>

\nRussia, France, Germany 2016

\n87 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ivan I. Tvedovsky’s second feature film is a bold fable about non-conformity that is not always successful at blending genres.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

In Zoology<\/i>, his second feature film \u2013 the first was Corrections Class<\/i> (Klass korrektsii<\/i>, 2014) \u2013 director Ivan I. Tvedovsky confirms his evident predilection for films about non-normative bodies. While his debut was about a wheelchair-bound girl with myopathy, his new film takes the theme a little further.<\/p>\n

Zoology<\/i> is about a lonely and rather frumpy middle-aged woman, Natasha (Natalia Pavlenkova), who lives a rather mundane and uneventful life and seems to have no social contacts save for her superstitiously religious mother, with whom she lives. Her desk-bound job at a local zoo offers little human respite as her colleagues dislike her and tease and bully her. At one point, they fill one of her desk drawers with rats and mock her as she screams at the unexpected swarm of rodents. It seems her only solace is in wandering around the zoo and nurturing the caged animals \u2013 one of a number of sometimes stretched metaphors the filmmaker employs in this near-fable. The realm of the fabulous kicks in when this solitary, ignored, and it seems, defeated woman makes a curious discovery about her body: she has grown a tail. At which point I must take note of the impressive, touching and brave performance of actress Natalia Pavlenkova who carries off this difficult role with such aplomb and charm. She has definitely earned her Best Actress Awards at European festivals.<\/p>\n

Natasha is at first horrified and embarrassed by her new-found appendage and seeks medical advice. The scenes at the clinic, however, present the first inklings of a problem that hampers the film somewhat. As the visits to the medical clinic are of a serious nature and are shot in a very realistic style (Tverdovsky cut his teeth on documentaries), a satire on the indifference of the Russian medical establishment ensues, which obfuscates the film\u2019s deeper intentions. And therein lies one of a rather lame group of satirical commentaries parachuted into the film, which distract, and even divert from the plot. Now this may be a case of failed national comedy cross-overs, but they operate much more as awkward plot digressions, and this contributes to the fact that the film doesn\u2019t entirely succeed as either fable, moral lesson, curious romantic comedy, parable or fairy tale.<\/p>\n

As Natasha becomes less embarrassed and more empowered by her \u2018difference\u2019 and uniqueness she encounters a younger, handsome medical assistant who becomes fascinated with, and enamored of, her. They commence a beatific erotic liaison as both parties, in a romantic bubble, come to accept and love the tail (a persuasive if uncanny special effects prosthetic and CGI motion appendage) until it soon becomes evident, in a strange tail-fellating scene, that the young man loves her in the main for this part of her body. Talk about chasing tail!<\/p>\n

As this realisation becomes clear to Natasha, her hard-won confidence and newly found \u2018mojo\u2019 begin to crumble. Understanding that her unusualness does not bring happiness she decides that she has to finally resolve the situation \u2013 an outcome that will not be spoiled in this review.<\/p>\n

A film about romance, fragility, the fabulous, the courage to stand out from the crowd and the pressures of conformist society, Zoology<\/i> is a brave film in a cinematic world of realistic or frothy and formulaic offerings. Not wholly successful in putting a narrative foot firmly down in any of the several genres introduced into the story, and not always clear in several motives and occurrences \u2013 there are a few plot holes and unconvincing happenings \u2013 Tvedovsky is definitely to be applauded for an audacious, interesting, arresting film \u2013 however curious and at times un-persuasive. Long may the spirit of independent visions last. Recommended viewing.<\/p>\n

James B. Evans<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

Zoology<\/i> screens at the BFI London Film Festival<\/a> on 6, 8, and 11 October 2016.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ivan I. Tvedovsky’s second feature film is a bold fable about non-conformity that is not always successful at blending genres.
\nReview by James B. Evans<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cinema-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"Toronto International Film Festival 2016","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/surUP-zoology","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1843,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/07\/15\/ivans-childhood\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":0},"title":"Ivan’s Childhood","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"July 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Tarkovsky's first feature-length film established him immediately as a major new talent in Soviet and world cinema. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/review_ivans-childhood-594x404.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/review_ivans-childhood-594x404.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/review_ivans-childhood-594x404.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4840,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/09\/09\/the-canal\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":1},"title":"The Canal","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Ivan Kavanagh\u2019s shadowy horror tale is haunted by the ghosts of cinema. Review by Virginie Sélavy","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Canal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/The-Canal-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/The-Canal-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/The-Canal-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4750,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/08\/01\/mystery-road\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":2},"title":"Mystery Road","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"August 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Ivan Sen\u2019s fine, modern-dress Australian western impresses as much for what it doesn\u2019t do as much as what it does. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mystery Road","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mystery-Road-594x310.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mystery-Road-594x310.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mystery-Road-594x310.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5922,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/10\/10\/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":3},"title":"The Corpse of Anna Fritz","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What separates H\u00e8ctor Hern\u00e1ndez Vicens\u2019s nasty little thriller from the flock, and may well damn it, is the sheer unpleasantness of its premise. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Corpse of Anna Fritz","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The-Corpse-of-Anna-Fritz-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The-Corpse-of-Anna-Fritz-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The-Corpse-of-Anna-Fritz-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1099,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/05\/04\/shadows-of-forgotten-ancestors\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":4},"title":"Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 4, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When Paradjanov made Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, he was experimenting with a new approach to filmmaking for the first time and the aesthetic achievement is spectacular. Review by Eleanor McKeown","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/review_shadowsofourforgotte-594x445.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/review_shadowsofourforgotte-594x445.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/review_shadowsofourforgotte-594x445.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4359,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/04\/16\/locke\/","url_meta":{"origin":6625,"position":5},"title":"Locke","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"April 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Steven Knight\u2019s second film as writer-director is a brilliant minimalist piece of cinéma de chambre. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Locke","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Locke-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Locke-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Locke-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6625"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6628,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6625\/revisions\/6628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}