NIGHT ZOO
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1988 Jeff Meyer
Seen at the Seattle Film Festival: NIGHT ZOO (Canada, 1987) Director/Screenwriter: Jean-Claude Lauzon Cast: Roger Le Bel, Gilles Maheu, Lynne Adams, Lorne Brass, Germain Houde
NIGHT ZOO had a lot of good "word of mouth" before it reached the festival, and I was looking forward to seeing it. Set in Montreal, it talks about an ex-con named Marcel who is released after serving a sentence for drug-smuggling. Upon returning to his apartment, he is rousted by a pair of sadistic cops who he sold the drugs for; Marcel hid the money before getting inside, and the cops want it back. At the same time, his father and he are estranged, and his father is in very poor health. As Marcel's situation with the two cops becomes more tense, the wall between father and son crumbles, and he plans to take his father away from the cesspool of the city.
NIGHT ZOO has mainly been praised for being able to move between dark, very brutal crime drama and the tender relationship between Marcel and his father. I'd agree with that up to a point; the scenes with Marcel and his father fishing, and their gradual reconciliation, are quite good. However, the final "hunting trip" at the end just becomes odd, and the drug smuggling plot is resolved as an afterthought.
The photography is quite good, and reminded me somewhat of DIVA -- slick city views, combined with romantic shots of the country. The story, though, lacks staying power, and the performances, while good, need more support from the story.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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