MULAN

Yifei Liu     Jet Li     Yoson An     Jason Scott Lee     Li Gong

What a thrilling movie for girls!  Mulan (Liu) is growing up in a small village in China, where she is showing great skill in martial arts.  This goes against tradition, however, and she is instructed to hide her talents and become more traditionally submissive.  She tries it, but when her aged father volunteers to go to war to save the kingdom, it’s too much for her.  Taking her father’s sword, armor, and conscription document, she disguises herself as a young man and joins the army. 

The story is very fanciful, both in terms of her being able to pull off the disguise and in the supernatural feats Mulan accomplishes (not unlike all action movies nowadays), along with another female character.  But this movie is primarily for children, so it fits right in with most of the literature for that group, and I got completely immersed in it as an adult. 

We enjoy the challenges Mulan faces and watching her get out of predicaments while staying fiercely loyal to her family, the kingdom, and their traditions.  She is often heroic, but with the feminine influences of the writers (three women and a man) and director (Niki Caro), she occasionally shows feminine touches, such as the time she is going to battle with fellow soldiers and they are denying their fear and quarrelling a bit, she makes a unifying pronouncement and pledges her vow to protect all of them.  Since she has just proven her fighting skills to them, they calm down and prepare for battle.   

The story has a number of elements that are good models for children, such as the bravery and competence of females, the honor in being loyal and true, wise leaders taking advice from their subordinates, and simple kindness toward others.  Besides those aspects, the cinematography (filmed in New Zealand and China), music, and costumes are gloriously beautiful.   

As Mulan, Yifei Liu’s athletic skills show her talent and training, and her acting ability is just as impressive, whether she is in the throes of battle or quietly dealing with her family, the matchmaker, and a fellow soldier.  The baddie in all this, Bori Kahn played by Jason Scott Lee, is just as awful and fearsome as he is supposed to be.  A surprise is another female super-hero (well played by Li Gong) who is assisting Bori Kahn and can change into a falcon or a whole flock of warrior birds to fight for their cause, the overthrow of the kingdom.  Like Mulan, she was supposed to have assumed the traditional female role, and because she did not, she was ostracized and called a witch.  But because of her character and her history, she attempts to be a mentor to Mulan. 

Mulan should be a hit when it opens, appealing to children around the world and satisfying their need for exciting fantasies.  Disney+ and the filmmakers should be congratulated on their accomplishment. 

Mulan is an exciting adventure that will certainly appeal to children, as well as many adults. 

Grade:  A                               By Donna R. Copeland 

THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE

Jessica Chastain     Johan Heldenbergh     Daniel Brühl

     The film opens on a sunny morning with Antonina (Chastain) on a bicycle riding through the Warsaw zoo, happily greeting the animals owned by her and her husband Jan (Heldenbergh).  It’s obvious she has a natural way of connecting with them, and when they respond, they seem very human-like.  She holds them, pats them and kisses them, and when there’s a medical emergency, she’s right there helping to make things right again. The Zabinskis actually live in the zoo with their young son and an assortment of animals.

     But it’s 1939, and the idyll will not last, for the Germans have decided to invade Poland.  Bombs start dropping on the zoo, killing many of the animals and barely missing Antonina and her son out on a balcony.  Jan wants Antonina to leave the city, but she refuses, actually wanting instead to have her best friend (who is Jewish) hidden in their villa. 

     Before long, they are visited by a German officer, Lutz Heck (Brühl).  Being a zoologist, he is sympathetic to their plight, informing them that the German leadership wants to use the zoo for their headquarters, so most of the animals must be killed.  He has toured the zoo and realizes that among the animals are exotic species.  He offers to take these to Germany and house them until the war is over.  His stake in it is that he does genetic research and wants to bring back an extinct species through breeding.  Antonina’s husband is away, but being a canny woman, she agrees to the plan, wanting to stay on his good side to protect themselves and what they have.

     Further, the couple proposes to Lutz that they open a pig farm, which would provide food for the German troops.  The plan is submitted to Goebbels in Germany, and upon his approval, pigs are indeed shipped in.  Unbeknownst to Lutz, the Zabinskis will use the farm to rescue and shelter Jews imprisoned in the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw.

     This fascinating (and almost unbelievable) account is based on a true story written by Diane Ackerman who drew her information from the unpublished diary of Antonina Zabinski.  Angela Workman turned it into a screenplay for the film directed by New Zealander Niki Caro (North Country, Whale Rider).  When WWII films about civilians are as imaginative and eye-catching as this one, it shines a light on the ingenious ways people caught up in some kind of horror survive.  In this case, Antonina and Jan form an effective couple—one using political skill, and the other using his compassion as motivation to act.

     Although not a Meryl Streep in the accent department, Chastain does a reasonable job in speaking English with a Polish accent.  In a way, she is in the same boat as her co-lead Heldenbergh who is from Belgium, although as a European he probably speaks several languages.  Nevertheless, Chastain plays her role to the hilt, needing to charm animals and humans in equal measure.

     I found The Zookeeper’s Wife to be a moving account, not only as a reminder to us (we have so many freedoms) of a significant time in history when freedoms were revoked, but as well a warning about how maintaining freedom is an ongoing effort that needs to be nurtured.

The effects of war on ordinary men, women, and children—and even animals—is patently clear in this film, along with imaginative ways to circumvent its damage.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland