This Australian documentary is about the founding of a wild life animal sanctuary in Indonesia called Ellis Park, that has been named after its founder.
ELLIS PARK. Starring Warren Ellis, and Femke den Haas. Directed by Justin Kurzel. Rated M (coarse language).106 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
This is the first Documentary film that has been made by Justin Kurzel and the movie begins with scenes filmed in Ballarat, Victoria. Kurzel is best known for his extraordinary direction of Macbeth (2015), Nitram (2021), and Snowtown (2011) – all three films deal with disturbing and graphically violent events.
The film under the cover of Australian mountains, takes viewers from Ballarat to Paris, and to Sumatra, Indonesia. Ellis is an Australian musician, who aims to energise viewers through his musical talent and his vital, spirited performances. The movie focuses on a wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra, where rescued trafficked animals are nursed back to health from injuries that have been inflicted upon them. In the sanctuary there are animals, which can’t be released because of the severity of their injuries and the park offers them a dignified life after injuries caused by human cruelty. Ellis Park is a place where severely wounded animals can live and die in care.The welfare of the animals is conducted by devoted carers, who are led passionately by dedicated conservationist-activist, Femke den Haas.
Ellis is an Australian music icon who performs, composes, and plays an impressive range of musical instruments. The film is written by Justin Kerzel in collaboration with Nick Fenton, and both Femke den Haas and Warren Ellis play themselves. The movie shows injured creatures being returned joyfully to the wild, and the film links Ellis’s acknowledged hedonism of his youth with the plights of the sanctuary’s traumatised animals. Ellis as a musical artist, and the plight of injured animals creates an ambivalence that is interesting, and the contrast raises several important issues, but the film more coherently addresses the threats to the welfare of the animals.
This is a deeply introspective documentary that passionately celebrates personal commitment to animal health and happiness, and it significantly addresses the special importance of living one’s values in a compassionate and human way.
Ellis Park was founded by Warren Ellis and Femke den Haas, and the film shows Ellis himself offering a highly personal picture of his life as a talented musician. The film exposes viewers to images of animal mistreatment, and such imagery is an important component of the intended impact of the film. Parents, however, will need to be aware that there could be risks involved in exposing some children to the images of animal cruelty. As the opening credits say, “discretion” is required.
Peter W. Sheehan is an Associate of Jesuit Media