I saw Saving Rhino Phila at a film festival in Johannesburg and was very impressed with the work and the message. Director Richard Slater-Jones does a great job of combining reenactments of poaching with actual footage of rhino Phila being rescued and transported to a zoo after being hunted by poachers, and with adding in other elements that make it seem like an actual adventure movie and not just a dry and bland documentary.
Because rhino Phila is a real animal that suffered real gunshots by poachers, the entire story became more involved than many standard documentaries. Often filmmakers that tackle poaching are left with nothing more than carcasses to get their point across, which makes it difficult for the audience to connect to the animals. In this telling, Phila becomes the star of her own show, suffering the wounds of being shot some eight times by poachers before she is finally rescued and released into a zoo. Once there, she struggles to adapt to life in captivity and with learning to trust her new benefactors. The story could not be more heart-wrenching if they had written it as a fictional tale and trained a real rhino to play the part.
Interviews with the rescuers also gave the film its human touch; they openly wept on screen when talking of Phila's struggles and their struggles to save the rhino population overall. Their sincerity kept the entire project from being forced in order to get the message across.
Veteran David James put his practiced snarl to good use as the sinister poacher boss who will obviously stop at nothing to get at his prize. Slater-Jones does an excellent job of allowing him to be driven and purposeful but not exaggerated or comical. In the hands of a lesser experienced or less skilled director, a poacher boss (or any bad guy) may be portrayed as so one-dimensional and so over-the-top that it's a distraction, but in this he was spot-on.
Good writing and directing make this a must-see for anyone. You'll easily get caught up in the story and the purpose of the message and may find yourself becoming more concerned with the problem of poaching and animal rights overall. South African filmmakers have always turned out great documentaries, and this one is no exception. I hope it makes it to the worldwide circuit.
Because rhino Phila is a real animal that suffered real gunshots by poachers, the entire story became more involved than many standard documentaries. Often filmmakers that tackle poaching are left with nothing more than carcasses to get their point across, which makes it difficult for the audience to connect to the animals. In this telling, Phila becomes the star of her own show, suffering the wounds of being shot some eight times by poachers before she is finally rescued and released into a zoo. Once there, she struggles to adapt to life in captivity and with learning to trust her new benefactors. The story could not be more heart-wrenching if they had written it as a fictional tale and trained a real rhino to play the part.
Interviews with the rescuers also gave the film its human touch; they openly wept on screen when talking of Phila's struggles and their struggles to save the rhino population overall. Their sincerity kept the entire project from being forced in order to get the message across.
Veteran David James put his practiced snarl to good use as the sinister poacher boss who will obviously stop at nothing to get at his prize. Slater-Jones does an excellent job of allowing him to be driven and purposeful but not exaggerated or comical. In the hands of a lesser experienced or less skilled director, a poacher boss (or any bad guy) may be portrayed as so one-dimensional and so over-the-top that it's a distraction, but in this he was spot-on.
Good writing and directing make this a must-see for anyone. You'll easily get caught up in the story and the purpose of the message and may find yourself becoming more concerned with the problem of poaching and animal rights overall. South African filmmakers have always turned out great documentaries, and this one is no exception. I hope it makes it to the worldwide circuit.