The Zoo Movie Theme

"Zoo" is a collection of unique stories taken from the collection of the same name by Author Hirotaka Adachi, better know by his pen name of "Otsuichi". Working with five different directors, the film showcases five different stories that vary in style, covering various themes while staying steeped in horror and tragedy.

The film opens with the short "Kazari and Yoko" a story of a young girl who is horribly abused, while her sister is put on a pedestal. Living off table scraps and sleeping on the floor, Kazari has accepted her existence and believes that she is inferior to her adored sister and deserved of her punishment. It isn't until she meets an older woman after returning her lost dog that Kazari begins to gain some confidence as the

This situation puts a lot of fo stress on the young boy as he soon becomes the conduit for a vicious argument between the two. In order to keep his sanity, the young boy must choose which parent he will continue to see.

The final two shorts "When the Sun Shines" and "Zoo" vary from the first three. "When the Sun Shines" is the shortest segment and is animated. Telling the story of an android being brought to life and struggling to understand it's purpose and the emotions it was programmed with. While "Zoo" has a more simple concept as a man reflects on a murder he committed by taking pictures of the rotting corpse every day. The story is told through flashbacks which begin to blur the lines between reality and

Unfortunately, same can be said for the directors of each short, with the first three being very similar in their execution. This is reflected in the fact that the cast and crew have done little to no work outside of this production. This makes "Zoo" more of a focus on the source material than a showcase for the actors or directors involved. Ultimately, these performances will probably keep this film from notoriety for those who hold the anthology format in high regard. The lackluster performances are a major deterrent and when considering which segments I preferred more, it came down to the script, with little consideration for the technical