Today, we will briefly look over the historical and cultural attitudes towards animal rights in filmmaking. Before looking at some examples of pro-vegan/animal rights films (old and new) to see how their messages were delivered and how they have changed.

Animal Rights in Cinema

Cinema has a long history of animal cruelty, from the cruelty inflicted on film horses for early Western and historicals to the horrors of Heaven’s Gate, which led to SAG and the AMPTP contracting the American Humane Association to oversee animal treatment in films. However, even recent films like Life of Pi show that cinema is still willing to mistreat animals for art.

That is not to say that film workers don’t care about animals. We should also be wary not to fall into racist stereotyping when discussing international cinema that shows animal cruelty and films that feature the practices of Indigenous peoples. However, with large-scale animal slaughter, testing etc being so ingrained in society, animal well-being is often devalued. This is often further compounded by tight finances incentivising filmmakers to cut corners.

That said, rising awareness around healthy eating and social justice among millennials, coupled with concerns around climate change (with deforestation and industrial food production impacting climate as well as animals) have led to a growth in people identifying as vegan and a growing movement for environmental and animal justice over the decades. Which in turn has led to films exploring both themes.

Green Gems

Of course, movies with pro-vegan and animal rights themes are not limited to the modern era. Blood of the Beasts (1949) showcased the brutality of slaughterhouses and through its juxtaposition with suburban France showed how a supposedly idyllic life is built on violence. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) comments on how slaughterhouse practices impact those who work in them. Also, its brutal allusions to violence encourages viewers to see the characters as animals being killed for meat. PETA listed it as one of the 10 movies to make you go meatless. There is also the double bill of Watership Down (1978) and Plague Dogs (1982). Both used animal characters to comment on how brutally humanity impacts their lives. Through changing their environments and experimenting with them.

One thing these examples have in common, aside from being independent productions, is that despite having animal rights themes they never explicitly vocalise action to stop these practices. Instead making audiences draw their own conclusions.

Evolving Times?

Nowadays we still see films that focus on animals being abused and killed to elicit sympathy for animals. Examples include acclaimed documentaries like The Cove and Blackfish.

But there have also been films that have favourably advocated for explicit action regarding both subjects. For example, while it has numerous flaws, Christspiracy uses its questionable narrative thrust to encourage activism and to link movements for social and environmental justice to those of animal rights. Saying a fight for a better world must ensure both humans and animals are treated better.

Then there is Okja. One of the best high-profile animal rights stories. Through great performances and CGI, we can see what animals mean to people and the emotions that animals are capable of. Therefore when the Animal Liberation Front come to help our hero get Okja back we see them in a sympathetic light. Largely mainstream movies have shown militant animal rights activists as naive people who just end up causing trouble (see 28 Days Later‘s opening). And while the ALF do questionable things the film always portrays them as fighting for the right reasons. To save as many animals as possible from a corporation that is killing them on a mass scale. It’s a film that makes animal rights activists into actual characters, not caricatures and dares to say they are right.

Conclusion

It is unclear if the current landscape will continue to inspire more thoughtful and forthright animal rights films. But there have always been filmmakers willing to challenge the status quo. Plus in the fight for a better world, why should animals not also be cared for?

The post Lights, Camera, Compassion: The Evolution of Animal Rights Films appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Synopsis

Is there a spiritual way to kill an animal? This question inspires Kip Andersen and Kameron Waters to investigate what major world religions think about the topic. But upon discovering a disconnect between what organised religious representatives say about killing animals and their religious texts they begin talking to scholars and vegan activists to discover the reasons behind it, its impact and if change is possible.

What Did I Like?

Christspiracy’s purpose is simple: convince people (religious or not) to interrogate their views on eating meat and industries that kill animals. As an atheist non-vegan, I think the film does a decent job of engaging in good faith with major religions. Providing enough reasonable arguments for why supporting industrial animal slaughter is antithetical to doctrines that favour compassion for living beings. 

It also shows how organised religion isn’t necessarily reflective of its members’ views by showing how spiritual leaders can alter their messages in service of capital and hegemonic power structures. This theme is furthered by the film highlighting other causes that animal rights intersect with. Whether it’s immigrants and prisoners forced into distressing positions killing animals because of their legal status, indigenous people being forced off their lands by deforestation or toxic industrial chemicals affecting leather workers and others because of workplace policy. Each of these struggles is linked to the devaluing of life (human and animal) in favour of industry profits. But the film argues a better world is possible if animal rights are part of the struggle for justice. Because if there are humane alternatives and humans are more intelligent than animals we should try to do better. For ourselves, animals and nature.

There is also great variety in the film’s content. The use of interviewees, animation and investigation sections make for a continually interesting watch that engagingly showcases the film’s thesis.

What Did I Not Like?

Apart from the film’s variety in form, there isn’t much to appreciate about Christspiracy’s presentation. The camera work and music are mostly generic and unremarkable, serving merely as vehicles to impart its message. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves little to appreciate if the message doesn’t engage viewers. 

Additionally, the film’s conspiracy angle adds little to the overall experience. The narration and overly serious music in several segments feel too melodramatic to be taken seriously. Especially compared to the realness of the film’s investigative direct action segments. It feels like a desperate attempt to encourage engagement.

Also I feel the film makes major stumbles regarding the information it presents.

Difficult Discussion

Despite Christspiracy mentioning these concerns the film still feels like it’s tokenizing certain cultures (particularly indigenous peoples) to show them as alternatives to practices endorsed by major religious spokespeople and making them feel like pawns in a game rather than people. The film should have stuck to analysing the diverse attitudes within the major religions or provided space to fully explore the cultures featured.

Also, the film specifically highlights Israel’s high vegan population as a compassionate transformation and a positive for the vegan movement. But considering Israel’s government has used its vegan reputation to vegan-wash crimes against Palestinians, not disclosing this information, particularly now, when it is potentially conducting genocide and ecocide in Gaza, killing humans and animals, feels irresponsible for a film about fighting injustice.

Finally, one segment centres around Holocaust comparisons to factory farming. Although Holocaust survivor Alex Hershaft’s lived experience informed his views expressed in the film, the film’s brief use of his sentiments with little else said feels like another culture’s pain being used for expedient shock value – which feels very insensitive.

Conclusion

Christspiracy is frustrating. Its good central premise, some compelling material and variety had the potential to make a truly impactful documentary. However, it’s dragged down by a lack of unique production work which fails to make it stand out and a plot conceit that only serves to create artificial tension. Plus the lack of care given to some of its material has the potential to harmfully impact different cultures.

Rating: (2 / 5)

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