Plot: What’s it about?
Mr. Hands was the on-line username of a husband and father from Seattle, a seemingly normal man with a family and a job as an aerospace engineer. But he lived a life few knew about, a life even his own family was unaware of, until it cost him his life and become a national news issue. Mr. Hands was part of a group of men, most of whom lived otherwise normal lives, who enjoyed sexual relations with animals, horses in Mr. Hands’ case. The men would gather and discuss their unusual desires, then indulge in sexual intercourse with the animals, even videotaping the sessions. But in July of 2005, Mr. Hands died from internal injuries caused by the sexual contact with a horse, sparking a national media blitz. But who are these men who chose this unusual fetish and why do they partake in bestiality?
Yes, this is a documentary about gentlemen who enjoy the sexual company of horses, in specific one who died due to internal injuries sustained in one such session. I read about Mr. Hands and his unique death, but I wondered how a documentary would handle his story and the issue of bestiality in general. As it turns out, Zoo tries to paint the zoophiles in a sensitive light and never demonizes their behavior. In truth, I’ve never seen a more tasteful presentation of such a socially reviled topic, the filmmakers seem to have genuine compassion for the zoophiles and their beliefs. So if you’re after sensationalism or explicit content, Zoo isn’t what you’re after at all. I found little to no entertainment value here, this plays more like a public relations piece for sex with animals, rather than a documentary feature. I do think there is an interesting story to be told here, but Zoo seems more like a promotional film, as opposed to a true documentary.
Video: How does it look?
Zoo is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This film has several different types of video, from home video to polished film. While these vary in quality from shot to shot, the overall image quality is good. Some of the landscape shots look incredible and really stand out here. The colors look natural, as do flesh tones and no errors emerge at all. The contrast is consistent, no detail loss is seen, and compression errors are non existent.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release implements a 2.0 stereo soundtrack, but you wouldn’t notice it by listening to it, since this is a dialogue driven piece, to be sure. There are times when the surrounds kick in, but on the whole this is a front channel film. The dialogue comes across very well, with no volume or separation issues to speak of. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The lone supplement is an audio commentary with filmmakers Robinson Devor and Charles Mudede, but don’t expect much insight. The two tend to refrain from going in depth on any topic, choosing to offer minor comments here and there, quite a let down, if you ask me.
