Zoology, 2016.
Directed by Ivan I. Tverdovskiy.
Starring Natalia Pavlenkova, Dmitri Groshev, Masha Tokareva, Aleksandr Gorchilin, Irina Chipizhenko, and Maria Tokareva.
SYNOPSIS:
Lonely middle-aged Natasha still lives with her mother and works a dead end job at the local zoo. However, one day she grows a tail, an external change that triggers a larger internal transformation.
You’ve never seen anything quite like Zoology, only the second film of young Russian writer-director Ivan I. Tverdovskiy’s career. Sure, you’ve probably seen a film that looks similar. Though it was filmed in the lovely Black Sea town of Tuapse, Zoology looks like something straight out of the Romanian new wave or from the Dardenne brothers, with handheld shots of gloomy people living under brooding skies occasionally interrupted by the piercing fluorescent lighting of institutional settings. Aside from aesthetics, however, it is amazing how wildly unqiue Zoology is. This unqiueness starts, of course, with the tail its protagonist grows early on. How could it not? But Zoology’s most notable achievement is that it carves out its own place by building upon the tail, turning what could have been a gimmick into a catalyst for a dark fairytale (no pun intended).
When put-upon fiftysomething Natasha (Natalia Pavlenkova, glorious) sprouts a rat-like tail, it shifts the course of her humdrum life. Some of the transformation is based around her working life at the zoo, which is filled with a hateful, mostly female Greek chorus of bullies. Several shots of the zoo’s inhabitants seem to suggest metaphorical connection to the human condition, but Tverdovskiy is wise to underplay the relationships. Rather, Natasha’s workplace establishes her as a kind of devastating everywoman, the kind of person so forgotten that the world has fogotten about forgetting her. This gets a bit meta when one considers how rare it is for an actress in her fifties to anchor a film, particularly a lesser known one like Pavlenkova. And Tverdovskiy makes it clear that he is aware of this, emphasizing how men (particularly those close in age) ignore Natasha.
Another part of Natasha’s transformation relates to her home life, particularly her relationship with her mother (Irina Chipizhenko), who is convinced the devil is on the prowl in their town. However, the most significant aspect of Natasha’s evolution is a romantic awakening, triggered both by the tail and by a young, spontaneous radiologist named Peter (Dmitri Groshev). It’s a credit to Tverdovskiy’s script that Zoology stays focused on Natasha and her transformation even when potential romance with Peter is introduced. Too many films appear to commit to a feminist message only to be hijacked by forcing the leading lady into the thrall of a man. Though Peter is involved in some of the film’s best scenes, including a cute sledding-on-concrete session, the story itself sticks with Natasha.
Though Natasha is a delightful protagonist at times, particularly in a scene midway through where she dances in the mirror – tail out – after receiving a particularly snazzy hair-do, one disappointing element of Zoology is that remains committed to its grim tone. Though there are certainly moments of humor and even joy, they are outweighed by the near-macabre tragedy that is Natasha’s life. When growing a rat-like tail is a good thing, you know life must be pretty bad, and Zoology is rather unflinching in its vision. This is commendable in a sense, as Tverdovskiy succeeds in making a point about how life can be for unmarried women of a certain age, but it would have been more enjoyable if Zoology had a bit more exuberance to match its irreverence.
Still, Zoology is an incredibly unique, beautifully rendered tale with a powerful, heartbreaking, and funny central performance by Natalia Pavlenkova. For a story about a zoo-worker growing a tale, Zoology is incredibly focused on the human condition. Watching it doesn’t just make us feel for Natasha, it makes us think about how we treat the Natashas in our own lives, which is a commendable achievement.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Mike McClelland
