‘Unanimal’: New documentary explores the relationship between humans and other animals’
'Unanimal' is an imaginative and philosophical documentary exploring the complex relationship between humans and animals in the Anthropocene era. Narrated by Isabella Rossellini, directors Sally Jacobson and Tuva Björk challenge humanity's perception of its dominance over other species. The film invites viewers to reconsider our place in the world and our interactions with animals. The directors explain: 'We are now witnessing a tipping point, where the separation we have made for ourselves has become a limitation. Instead of separating, it’s time to explore and celebrate the connections between us and other animals, the possibilities for adaptation, learning, and living together'.
GEORG SZALAI: “Imagine that you are a jellyfish,” says the voice of Oscar nominee Isabella Rossellini at the start of a trailer for ‘Unanimal’, a new documentary by directors Tuva Björk and Sally Jacobson, which The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal. In the movie, Rossellini’s voice leads viewers through “a self-reflecting journey into the complex relationship between humans and other animals.”
With humor and curiosity, the doc looks to “uncover animals’ astounding adaptations to our urban, modern lives” and invite the audience to think about “our shared presence in a world dominated by man,” according to a synopsis. It moves “from the living conditions of inner city rats and pigeons to absurd spectacles by which we are surrounded under hyper-capitalism: three goldfish being sold for the price of one, monkeys negotiating a deal on coca cola with the zookeepers and horses being transported across the globe on jumbo jets.”
One key question explored is what we can learn about ourselves “by looking at other animals.” Or: “What can we learn about ourselves by looking at the line that separates us from the rest of the living?” as narrator Rossellini puts it in the film… We are interested in the relationship between physical reality and visual culture,” the directors explain in their directors’ statement about the film. “How can images challenge the dominant chrono-normative human-animal relationship?”
They also highlight: “Rather than presenting moral statements on relations between human and other animals, we want to allow the viewer to meditate on the subject on their own premises. It is impossible to see from the perspective of the nonhuman, but we can position the camera inside the cages at the zoo, behind the display glass in the pet shop, and in front of the crowd at the racecourse in order to study the human observing the nonhuman”…
“We are now witnessing a tipping point, where the separation we have made for ourselves has become a limitation, alienating us from the ecosystem we are inseparable from and depended on,” Björk and Jacobson highlight. Instead of separating, it’s time to explore and celebrate the connections between us and other animals, the possibilities for adaptation, learning, and living together.” SOURCE…
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