[Spoilers included]
The protagonist of "The Zookeeper's Wife" (The Zookeeper's Wife) is a couple who manages the zoo. What they do in the play can be said to be "in pursuit of their ideals...and wantonly committing illegal acts." It is "blatant contempt of the law, not only refuses to admit that his illegal behavior is wrong, but also regards it as an honorable and proud behavior." The male owner of the zoo, Jan Żabiński, was arrested and sentenced to prison for a time when he participated in violent actions that undermined social peace, while his wife, Antonina, continued to commit an undiscovered "crime"-harbouring and assisting approximately 300 Jews during the Nazi regime. Escape from Hitler's slaughter. They are just "people of insight" who are "violating the law and righteous".
Many movies are claimed to be "adapted from real people and real events," but how many are true and how many are adaptations. Different movies vary greatly. For example, the Korean movie "Gunkanjima", which was released in the same period, is based on historical facts with only relevant geographic and historical background, while the main characters and plots are all fictitious. Audiences who have watched "Moving" may have similar questions: Did the Żabiński couple really protect so many Jews in the zoo? The Antonina mother and son in the play are shocked and unsafe, all because the Nazi officers who took over the zoo are softhearted. Isn't the actual Nazi party very cruel? Was Żabiński really a member of the Polish Resistance Army and survived after being arrested and imprisoned to be reunited with his family after the war? …Because the above plot is too dramatic, even if we believe that there are really kind and brave people like the Żabiński couple, what they do is too difficult, and the smoothness of it is incredible. In the movie, the protagonist always seems to be blessed by the god of happiness, and the appearance of a variety of cute animals in turn makes this drama feel like a fairy tale. It intuitively contradicts the cruel perception of the Holocaust. It also challenges common sense about "what Things are possible/impossible" inertial judgments.
As a Hollywood production, "Movement" does have many dramatic adaptations, such as the dispute between the Żabiński couple and the Nazi officer Lutz Heck, and the specific details of Żabiński smuggling Jews from the exclusion zone. imaginary. The triangle relationship in the play is also suspected of being "soap opera-like", which interferes with the serious themes of heavy historical themes. However, if the audience compares the plot with historical data, they will find that in historical facts, the Żabiński couple miraculously saved about three hundred Jews; Żabiński really participated in the uprising and was imprisoned, but survived the family reunion after the war; The protagonist’s family really lived with various animals and grew up with his children, just like a fairy tale-even at the end Antonina once thought that her son was shot and killed by a tense plot, but another person shot the gun. In other words, if the Żabiński couple live their lives according to "common sense": face reality, keep themselves safe, obey the law (regardless of the content of the law and how it is changed), seize the opportunity... this story will not appear.
In fact, what the Żabińskis did was to accomplish things that were impossible according to "common sense." What makes people go beyond common sense is hope. Despair is a kind of consciousness, but hope is not a change of thought or awakening, but a righteous and natural action. What they did was clearly illegal, and the law they violated was a rule laid down by those in power at the time; however, what they believed and practiced was of a higher value and morality than the current law and power. These values and morals shown in the film are not eloquent philosophies, but a kind of moral emotion. Jessica Chastain, who plays Antonina, designed a soft voice for the character, highlighting the struggle of Antonina, a gentle woman, in troubled times. She was an orphan, and she was afraid of power, but when she saw those who were being bullied, the weaker people, courage was born from this.
In the eyes of some people, compassion is the emotion of the weak, but it is actually the root of the strong. Power and law must be put into practice to become true, and hope must also be reflected in action. However, some people surrender and some people resist. The difference in the subdues comes from the softest part of their hearts: whether they feel that they and the weaker are both weak and strong and courageous because of their compassion and love for the weak.
(Originally published in "Times Forum" Issue 1566.)
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