Horst_In_Translation Review of Safari

Safari (2016)

Succeeds in having you look beyond the initial disgust

[6/10 · 21 September 2017]

"Safari" or "Auf Safari" is an Austrian German-language film from last year (2016). This one runs for about 1.5 hours and it is the newest work by writer and director Ulrich Seidl, who has some works in his body of work that I like quite a bit. And while this one here is not my biggest favorite from him, I still think he turns a pretty difficult subject into a quality documentary. The abyss of the human soul is one he has shown us in several projects and this one here fits the description too. We follow a bunch of hunters and see pretty graphically how they kill zebras, giraffes and other animals. The film partially just shows the people during hunting, but it is also full of interviews, in which they explain why they do what they do and somehow justify their actions. It is a bit of a two-sided sword for sure. On the one hand, the general idea of killing as a hobby and for pleasure is one that is extremely hard to justify whatsoever. On the other hand they say everybody who despises what they do should also be really critical about the practices within the food industry. They have a point here and I would not say they are really really bad people, at least not worse than most others only because of their hobby, even if I have never been hunting and probably never will be. Completely aside from the subject, I felt that most people in here felt interchangeable, but it is fine because once again Seidl succeeds with his approach. No narrator is needed, nobody asking questions is needed as the people this is about have enough to tell us in terms of both quality and quantity to make this documentary work. And the film never judges, it just narrates. One of the most interesting ideas in here is the concept of teaching us how a good hunter kills quickly without the animal bleeding out for hours and this is referenced on several occasions and there is quite an irony to it that pointless killing still has a bit of a human note. I also think that the hunter is right who near the very end speaks about mankind being rotten as a whole, even if you could argue that the point "I am evil, but so is everybody else." is one to really support. Shouldn't you be trying to make a difference? Or at least refuse to join those committing these horrible acts? There is a lot to discuss here and it's another worthy addition to Seidl's and Franz' careers, also because it forces you to listen to a group of people you most likely otherwise would not pay any attention to because of what they do and you find out they are worth listening to. I recommend the watch, but those scared of graphic violence against animals may want to skip these 90 minutes.