The Zookeeper's Wife

Jan and Antonina Żabiński, who ran the Warsaw Zoo, hid hundreds of Polish Jews in empty animal enclosures and in the basement of their house during the German occupation. The source is Diane Ackerman's 2007 book, which itself draws heavily on Antonina's diaries, published in 1968 as People and Animals. Niki Caro directed. Jessica Chastain plays Antonina, Johan Heldenbergh plays Jan, and Daniel Brühl plays Lutz Heck, the director of the Berlin Zoo. Shooting began on 29 September 2015 and ran through November in Prague. Andrij Parekh photographed it and Harry Gregson-Williams wrote the score. The screenplay follows the historical record on the rescue operation; the tension between Antonina and Heck is a dramatic addition. On a 20 million dollar budget it grossed 26.2 million worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 64 percent and Metacritic at 57, while PostTrak audience scores ran above 90 percent. Who it is for: viewers interested in civilian resistance during the Second World War. Who it is not for: anyone unprepared for violence against animals. The opening shows the zoo being bombed and softens none of it.