6 /10 1 Votes6
57% Rotten Tomatoes | 7.1/10 IMDb 2/4 Roger Ebert Written by Angela Workman Initial release 31 March 2017 (USA) Music director Harry Gregson-Williams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Produced by Jeff AbberleyJamie PatricofDiane Miller LevinKim ZubickJulia Blackman Starring Jessica ChastainJohan HeldenberghMichael McElhattonDaniel Brühl Cast Similar The Pianist, Hacksaw Ridge, Schindler's List, Free State of Jones, Machine Gun Preacher Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Zookeeper's Wife is a 2017 war drama film directed by Niki Caro and written by Angela Workman, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Diane Ackerman. The film stars Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton and Daniel Brühl.
Contents
It had its world premiere on March 8, 2017, in Warsaw, Poland, the location of the plot, followed by screening at the Cinequest Film Festival on March 12, 2017, before being scheduled to be released on March 31, 2017, by Focus Features.
Plot
The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Żabiński, who helped save hundreds of Jews during the German invasion of Poland.
Cast
Production
In September 2010, it was announced that Angela Workman was adapting the Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book The Zookeeper's Wife. On April 30, 2013 Jessica Chastain attached to play the titular role as Antonina Żabińska in the film, while Niki Caro signed on to direct the film. On August 24, 2015, Focus Features acquired the US rights to the film, and Daniel Brühl and Johan Heldenbergh signed on to star in the film.
Filming
Filming began on the animals to be used in the film on September 9, 2015, but the actual principal photography with actors began on September 29, 2015, in Prague, Czech Republic. Suzie Davies would serve as the production designer, Andrij Parekh as the director of photography, Bina Daigeler as the costume designer. Filming ended on November 29, 2015.
Release
It had its world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival on March 12, 2017. The film is scheduled to be released on March 31, 2017.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 62% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 53 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".