The Zookeeper's Wife Page #4

Synopsis: War brews over Warsaw in 1939, and while life is still running its course, the Germans are slowly beginning to make their presence felt, with Hitler secretly preparing for the German invasion of Poland. Under those circumstances, the young couple of Jan and Antonina Zabinski continue their daily routine as owners and keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, but soon, as German Luftwaffe's Stukas hammer the Polish capital, their life's work together with the city, will turn to ashes. However, with the zoo liquidated for the war effort and many of its animals tragically perished, what was once an animals' zoo, will now serve as a sanctuary where Antonina, the humanist veterinarian, and Jan can hide the persecuted Polish Jews in plain sight until safe houses are found. That was Jan and Antonina's formidable, yet perilous plan, who regardless of the consequences, refused to wither before the Nazi menace, took matters into their own hands and sheltered 300 Jews under the Germans' noses.
Director(s): Niki Caro
Production: Focus Features
  2 wins & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
57
Rotten Tomatoes:
61%
PG-13
Year:
2017
127 min
$17,407,536
Website
1,227 Views


Times are very hard.

It's not your fault.

You have always been so good to me, Miss.

You and your husband.

Now, I'll be good to you.

Be careful.

Attention. Attention.

Tomorrow the evacuation

of the ghetto will begin.

Pack your belongings,

and prepare for resettlement.

And now, listen to an old story.

I wrote it for you.

It's a children's tale.

So...

Dr. Korczak...

Where are they taking you?

We are going to

a land called Ro,

to visit a great magician there.

His name is Zi. He's a

very good friend of mine.

Yes.

Dr. Korczak,

my car is outside the gate.

It's just outside, just there.

It's impossible.

I need your help now, or the

fear will be unmanageable.

God bless you,

Dr. Zabinski.

Goodbye for now.

Pray for us.

What's this?

Look who's joined the party.

The pig farmer of Warsaw.

What will the pig farmer

do now, I wonder.

Who knows, Herr Heck?

A man might be surprised.

He comes here whenever he likes.

He touches you however he likes.

What would you have me do?

I can't send him away.

We have to work

with him, we agreed.

It was the only way to do this.

I never agreed to this.

Never

To what?

This...

This dance you do with him.

This fun little game you play.

You don't even see it.

He frightens me.

I am here with a house

full of desperate people,

and he comes here

and he frightens me,

and you're not here.

And there's nothing

I can do. You're not here.

People are dying, Antonina.

Thousands of people are dying.

And you are here. You stay

hidden here, safe and sound.

You don't know.

You don't know.

Grandparents, women, children.

The littlest of children.

And I'm trying to help them,

but they're dying in my hands.

And you don't know.

You don't know what it's like.

And here you are,

fooling with that man.

Jan, don't you see?

He owns us.

He owns us now.

Antonina. Antonina.

Mrs. Anzelowna?

Yes?

And your mother?

Out. Come out. Out.

Here, down on your knees.

On your knees.

Down!

Down!

Was it her hair?

Was it her hair color?

Of course not.

Someone at the boarding house

must have turned them in.

On this

day, the 19th of April, 1943,

on the eve of

Adolf Hitler's birthday,

Reichsfuhrer Heinrich

Himmler announced

the final extermination

of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Rise up, citizens of Warsaw.

Join our brothers

and sisters in the fight.

For on this day,

our ghetto will be liquidated.

The Warsaw Ghetto

will be no more.

Today is April the 19th.

Passover begins tonight.

May we have a Seder?

Antonina?

I know it by heart.

It's snowing.

What is it?

Mama?

They're burning the ghetto.

Here's cash and papers. We'll move Mrs.

Mayzel to Bramki.

They're taking Mrs. Poznanska

to Foksal Street.

Jan...

Yeah, good.

How did you get here?

I followed you.

You never let me go anywhere.

Drive on.

Let me go!

Be quiet.

Burn it down.

Where's your mother?

She's at the doctor's.

Mmm-hmm.

And your father?

He's in Zalesie, I think.

Zalesie?

I bet it's cold out there.

How long has he been there?

A week. I mean, a month.

A month? That's a long time.

I thought I just

saw him the other day.

No, I told you.

He's in Zalesie.

Well, I love Zalesie.

I like to swim there, in the lake.

It's beautiful.

I bet you wanted

to go swimming, too.

And that's why you yelled at

your father on Zurawia Street.

No.

Then why did you yell?

I wasn't supposed

to leave the zoo.

I want to speak to your

mother and your father.

Tell them I've come by.

Yes.

But Papa's in Zalesie.

I forgot.

Your papa's in Zalesie.

Good boy for reminding me.

Your parents

must be proud of you.

Tell them they should

be proud of you.

Heil Hitler.

Heil Hitler.

Hitler ist kaputt!

Stand down.

We had a girl, Papa.

I've named her Teresa,

like the saint.

Oh, that's a good name.

That's a beautiful name.

Hello, Teresa.

Are you all right?

Yes.

I'm wonderful.

This is Warsaw

calling-This is Warsaw calling.

August 1st, 1944.

This is Warsaw calling.

The Polish Home Army is rising

up against the Nazi Reich.

We call on all

great citizens of Warsaw

to free our city and our nation.

The German Army must not stand.

Follow me.

This is Warsaw calling.

This is Warsaw calling.

Go!

Aim.

Shoot

Go.

Go, go, go!

I was told that

he was shot in the neck.

The Germans took him

to a prison camp,

but no one knows where he is.

I'm sorry, Miss.

This is Warsaw

calling-This is Warsaw calling.

Citizens of Warsaw,

we urge you to leave at once.

The city is no longer

safe for you.

I repeat, you are not safe.

We urge you to take

only what you can carry.

Leave at once.

This is Warsaw calling.

The Home Army is overrun.

The Russian offensive has begun,

and the German Army

is expected to fall.

You are not safe.

This is Warsaw calling...

Herr Heck's taking

the bison out of Warsaw.

Miss, you're not

leaving the zoo.

I have to know

what happened to Jan.

Miss...

I have to know.

You've packed your things.

The war's turning. I've been

ordered back to Berlin.

What bad luck for us.

We'll be sorry to see you go.

I'm here to ask you, my friend,

I'm looking for my husband.

He was captured

by German troops.

He was taken from the zoo?

No. From Old Town.

The underground army's

fighting in the Old Town.

What was Jan doing there?

Buying grass for the bison.

What did you say?

Jan was buying grass

and he was captured.

Why are you really

here, Antonina?

I hoped you

might help me find him.

As a gift to our friendship.

He might be dead.

He might be.

I don't know.

I don't know anything.

And what gift would

I receive in return?

I'm curious to know.

Has Jan been keeping

secrets from me?

No, of course not.

Are you lying to me, Antonina?

No.

I just want to find what

happened to my husband.

And if he's dead,

I want to bury him.

"Hitler ist kaputt! "

I heard your son say it.

He's a child, Lutz.

It means nothing

to him, it's a game.

He hears things and he

repeats them, that's all...

Where does he hear them?

Um...

I don't know.

People come and go all the time...

Who comes and goes?

Soldiers and guards and...

Believe me,

it means nothing to him.

Did he hear it from his father?

Did he?

No.

No.

You're lying to me, Antonina.

I can see it in your eyes.

No.

No!

No, Lutz! No!

Look at me.

Look at me.

You disgust me.

So, that's how it is.

You hid it well.

But I wonder

what else have you

been hiding from me?

What have you been

up to, Frau Zabinska,

in your little zoo?

Excuse me, please!

Jerzyk!

We have to get them out.

Herr Heck is coming.

The bombing is coming in.

Herr Heck wants you out.

Everyone!

Pack your things. They're coming!

Hurry, they're coming!

Go! Go!

Go to the truck.

Yeah, go quickly.

Go to the truck.

Quickly, please, go.

You must hurry!

Go. Go.

Come back when the war's

over, promise me.

She's coming with us!

Go quickly, boys!

Rys, get in the truck.

No, I'm not going.

- No!

- Rys!

Take Teresa,

we'll catch up to you.

Promise me you'll hurry.

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Angela Workman

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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