Movie

Bestiary

2012 · 72 min

A hushed, static gaze at captive animals and the people watching them, patient and quietly unsettling, asking you to look back.

Overview: A popular sensation in medieval Europe, bestiaries were catalogs of beasts featuring exotic animal illustrations, zoological wisdom, and ancient legends. The documentary unfolds like a filmic picture book where both humans and animals are on display. As we observe them, they also observe us and one another, invoking the Hindu idea of “darshan”: a mutual beholding that initiates a shift in consciousness.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: eeriestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: nature
isolation
identity
death
art
Places: wilderness
workplace
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: documentary
single location
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language none
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	3
Humour	1
Realism	8
Romance	0
Tension	4
Darkness	5
Complexity	7
Emotional weight	5

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: documentary
Directed by: Denis Côté
Written by: Denis Côté
Cinematography: Vincent Biron
Runtime: 72 min
Country: Canada, France
Languages: French

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Bestiary

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