Zookeeper's Wife, The (12A)

Biography, Drama, History

The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion.

The critical consensus

Jessica Chastain is the chief selling point of a solid wartime drama from Niki Caro.

(*) (*) The List, 18/04/2017

Slow, meandering and oversensitive. Even Daniel Brühl can’t make it interesting or fun.

(*) (*) (*) Manuela Lazic, Little White Lies, 19/04/2017

Chastain is a fine actress but her character here, even if based on a real person, strains credibility.

(*) (*) (*) Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 19/04/2017

A compelling story bolstered by engaging performances from Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, let down by occasional awkward tonal shifts and clumsy plotting.

(*) (*) Liz Beardsworth, Empire Online, 21/04/2017

Jessica Chastain stars as a Warsaw animal lover who saved hundreds of Jewish people from the Nazis.

(*) (*) Simran Hans, The Observer, 23/04/2017