Distributed on Neon

This documentary film is about a sow. You may well think, why would I want to spend hours watching an oversize pig raise her brood?

There are several reasons. First and foremost is the quality of the photography. Kossokovsky employed one of the best steadicam operators, Egil Larsen, whose patience with animals knows no bounds.

The black and white compositions unfold the story. No voice overs tell you what is happening. You observe and decide for yourself. The viewer intuits what the animals are thinking, why they behave the way they do.

I know many may not appreciate the technique which takes cinema verite to extremes. But if you have the patience, you get to experience what it is like to be not only a sow, or a piglet duking it out with way too many siblings for a nipple.

There is the added bonus of closely observed chickens let out of their pens, trying to figure out where it is safe.

Life for cultivated animals is never safe. The soundtrack accentuates the danger in the machines nearby. They loom and threaten with their mere presence.

The tension builds as the distance between the camera and the animals lengthens and shortens. We are drawn into these creatures’ lives. Kossokovsky’s intention, stated in an interview with Joaquin Phoenix, is to convince humans that they are not the only ones with souls. He succeeds completely.

As the planet continues to be dominated by business interests that ignore the consequences on nature, this movie brings into acute focus the animals we sacrifice to feed us.