The Zookeeper's Wife

Apart from a suspect Polish accent, Jessica Chastain is on dignified form in the true story of Antonina Zabinska who, along with her husband, sheltered Jews from the Warsaw ghetto during the Second World War. Though the premise is reminiscent of Schindler's List, the twist here is that the way station is a zoo filled with exotic animals, attracting the unwanted attention of Nazi chief zoologist Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl, striving to add depth). The fact he also takes a shine to Antonina creates a fraught situation that requires both deception and acquiescence on her part. However, director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) draws back at key moments, diluting the tension. There's an emotional barrier, too, that keeps the growing discord between Antonina and husband Jan (Johan Heldenberg) from resonating as deeply as it should. The upside of Caro's approach is that difficult scenes hinting at the terrible fate of so many people (children especially) don't feel exploitative. It's impossible not to be moved, even with such a polite rendering of events that, in the end, finds hope for the human species.