Secret Zoo(2020)

해치지 않아(2020) 

 

 

 

I totally misunderstood the movie ‘Secret Zoo’ until I watched it. It seemed that the existing comic movies which are engulfed with hilarious lines and slapstick humor. The movie trailer didn’t reveal enough information to understand the movie type, so there are not any other way except thinking that genre of the movie as a comic. But that is to be a twist because I regarded it totally different. As you know, this movie was not that kind of movie. Although director made the movie within light format, he dealt with an ‘animal right’ through the narratives. Not a human right, it was an animal light. Movie named ‘Okja’, directed by Junho Bong, comes to my mind when we talk about animal right. If the rights of edible animal is the main theme of ‘Okja’, the rights of animal in zoo is the main theme of the ‘Secret Zoo’.

 

Plot are quite simple. Main character ‘Taesu’, played by Jaehong Ahn, should do CPR at the zoo named ‘Dongsan’. This zoo went bankrupt for some reason. Due to debt repayment, most of the animals lived in the zoo — especially main animal such as lion, bear, giraffe and so on- are sold out and moved to the other places. At the zoo without animal, Taesu suggested some bright idea to other zoo staffs. However, the way to revive he insisted was not kind of acceptable ‘play’ but illegal cheat. The bigger problem than committing crime was the fact that there was no other way to recover. Eventually, all of staffs joined the illegal ‘play’ which is to pretend to be an animal in animal clothes.

 

 

The opening day of zoo came soon, staffs who wear an animal cloth prepared to greet audience in their own cage. This situation looks so weird for movie audience but it’s such an efficient cinematic setting. Zoo audience in the movie never doubt that the fake animals are played by actual people. Some of them didn’t know what they have done at actual people: such as throwing a trash, shouting loud at animals, kicking a cage. Then, the person who in the animal fur cloth told at their walki-talki, ‘It’s not weird that real animals have gone abnormal.’. The scene draws out sympathy from the audience who is sitting outside of the screen, because the animal in the cage is a real person like them. This kind of sympathy from putting on the other’s shoes throw several questions at us. What is that the people actually wants? Do people want to see an animal in nature or interesting show?

 

 

Despite of staff’s effort, the zoo has fewer visitors. And then, the scene of polar bear gulping coke has been caught. Thanks to Taesu’s thirst, zoo achieved great success on SNS because the audiences took a fake polar bear video and uploaded online. Lots of people visited just to watch the coke-bear. Now, let’s just change the question. Is that only real animal could be a proper examplar for zoo visitor? I’m not certain that anybody could distinguish whether it’s real when they watch the animals. Actual animal can be replaced with some robots with shape of animal or real person who trained trained to act an animal. In fact, the zoo of dinosaur has been realized in Korea. Mechanical engineering and A.I programming could revive exterminated dinosaur. Why do we still see a real animal in this technology age? That’s ridiculous.

 

One more thing, Sowon, veterinarian of the zoo, had an animal friend which is a polar bear, not a fake but sick one. Its name is ‘Black nose’ which has showed an abnormal behavior because of poor environment. She regretted to have missed a chance to send ‘Black nose’ to Canada, polar bear laboratory which is similar to a real nature. She agonized. whether it is really helpful to let ‘Black nose’ stay in the cage of zoo. This scene pointed out sophisticated problem. The people who love animals also make poor decisions for animal. How could the cage in the zoo be the best habitat for animal? That is an idea thoroughly from human perspective, even people give a massive love to animals. We should discuss what is the best way for animals in perspective of them.

 

 

This movie suggests and gives its own answer through the story. Let them go. Let them live in nature. Don’t interrupt their own habitat anymore. In the last scene of movie, a polar bear which seems to be ‘Black nose’ watched Taesu and Sowon outside the window. They and we(audiences of movie) naturally forward and expect the perfect ending that ‘Black nose’ ran to the glass and communicate with two human. However this polar bear broke everyone’s expectation. It gives a glimpse indifferent the camera once in distance, and just back to nature. It’s the main scene and the perfect ending of movie simultaneously. Audience would feel some pity, but that’s the punchline of the movie, including the audience’s response. The relationship between human and animal is just like that. That’s the one and right way to keep animal right from the point of human.