Ellis Park is an Australian documentary about the founding of a wildlife animal sanctuary in Indonesia. Source: Australian Catholics.
This is the first documentary film that has been made by Justin Kurzel. Kurzel is best known for directing Macbeth (2015), Nitram (2021), and Snowtown (2011), all of which deal with disturbing and graphically violent events.
This film takes viewers from Ballarat to Paris to the Ellis Park wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra, Indonesia, founded by Warren Ellis and Femke den Haas.
Ellis is an Australian musician (and long-term collaborator with Nick Cave) who aims to energise viewers through his musical talent and his vital, spirited performances.
At the park, rescued trafficked animals are nursed back to health from inflicted injuries. Where animals cannot be released back into the wild because of the severity of their injuries, the park offers them a dignified life and care.
The animals’ devoted carers are led by den Haas, a passionate conservationist and activist.
The movie shows injured creatures being returned joyfully to the wild, and the film links Ellis’s acknowledged hedonism of his youth with the plights of the sanctuary’s traumatised animals.
This is a deeply introspective documentary that passionately celebrates personal commitment to animal health and happiness, and it significantly addresses the special importance of living one’s values in a compassionate and human way.
It exposes viewers to images of animal mistreatment, and such imagery is a crucial component of the film’s intended impact. Parents, however, will need to be aware that there could be risks involved in exposing some children to the images of animal cruelty.
Ellis Park: Starring Warren Ellis and Femke den Haas. Directed by Justin Kurzel. Rated M (coarse language). 106 min.
FULL REVIEW
Ellis Park (Australian Catholics)
