Collective Monologue review – sensuous zoo study foregrounds contacts between keepers and creatures

2026-02-16 - 09:25

Jessica Sarah Rinland’s documentary examines how humans and animals interact in the confines of captivity, but leaves some questions unexplored Traditional zoos are zones of hierarchy; animal voyeurism is encouraged but interspecies interactions are curbed, if not outright forbidden. Shot in various conservation parks and rescue centres across Argentina, Jessica Sarah Rinland’s sensuous documentary poetically foregrounds the physical and emotional contact that occurs between animals and their carers, even within these spaces of surveillance. From rare giant anteaters to flamingo colonies, the isolated creatures are stunningly varied. Interestingly, Rinland rarely frames the animals by themselves. Instead, we see them actively engaging with human workers during feeding or weighting routines, often in closeup that accentuates minute gestures and expressions. There are echoes of Rinland’s previous works, which lingered on the hands of archivists, farmers or ecologists; those in fact who relate to their environments in a tactile way. In the case of zoo workers, however, they deal not with inanimate plants or archival records, but living, breathing beings. The bonds between them and the animals are profound, but rarely friction-free. Continue reading...