As the devoted father of a budding animal rights activist who is soon leaving for college, I am spending a few days at an animal rights conference to enjoy a few days with her before she goes to college and dyes her hair blue.
On the first night of the conference, I saw this movie surrounded by "the choir" I expected this movie to be "preaching" to. I didn't expect much from the movie itself. I was prepared to sit through a "labor of love" that was going to club me senseless with a heavy-handed agenda.
What I got instead was a well-written, well-acted, dramatic and surprising movie that often moved me to tears. The characters were all believable, and I didn't notice any of the distracting low-budget gaffes that plague so many movies like this one.
If I have any complaint, it was the non-linear sequence of the movie. I didn't figure out why he was orchestrating the climax until the movie itself pointed out the timeline and his motivation. I found myself confused, at times, about past and present.
I was already sympathetic to the message, but this movie has pushed me closer to accepting the challenge of living a vegan lifestyle. I think this movie has the power to change people in ways that horrifying documentary footage can't, because you are drawn into the struggle, instead of just being repelled by the reality of animal cruelty.
I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who loves animals, regardless of how their lifestyle or ideology.
Oh, and that pig was cute!
