Dir. Max Kestner | Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom | 2024
The Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything: a scientific and philosophical adventure film that begins with the killing of a Danish giraffe
99 min.
Documentary
7 november ONLINE. from 00:00 to 23:59
Life and Other Problems
Dir. Max Kestner | Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom | 2024
The Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything: a scientific and philosophical adventure film that begins with the killing of a Danish giraffe
7 november ONLINE. from 00:00 to 23:59
99 min.
Documentary
When 10 years ago, a giraffe named Marius was killed and fed to lions at the Copenhagen Zoo, the incident sparked global discussions, from Hollywood celebrities to residents of Chechnya. But director Max Kestner was more intrigued than shocked by this viral event and used it as a starting point for an existential adventure, which he embarked upon in his ironic documentary essay. What is life? Does consciousness exist? Where does love come from? And ultimately, is humanity worthy of being placed so high in the biological hierarchy just to serve as the executioner of animals? Gathering all his curiosity, Kestner sets off on a journey around the world to find answers to his questions with leading experts like microbiologist Donato Giovannelli and veterinarian, philosopher, and "wolfman" Charles Foster. However, the scientists' comments offer little help: every answer generates three more questions, and the director expands the grand and small connections between disparate things to cosmic proportions. His film is an engaging and often very funny exploration of the difficulties of existence, yet offering no solutions.
About the film
Original language: English, Danish
Subtitles: Belarusian | English
When 10 years ago, a giraffe named Marius was killed and fed to lions at the Copenhagen Zoo, the incident sparked global discussions, from Hollywood celebrities to residents of Chechnya. But director Max Kestner was more intrigued than shocked by this viral event and used it as a starting point for an existential adventure, which he embarked upon in his ironic documentary essay. What is life? Does consciousness exist? Where does love come from? And ultimately, is humanity worthy of being placed so high in the biological hierarchy just to serve as the executioner of animals? Gathering all his curiosity, Kestner sets off on a journey around the world to find answers to his questions with leading experts like microbiologist Donato Giovannelli and veterinarian, philosopher, and "wolfman" Charles Foster. However, the scientists' comments offer little help: every answer generates three more questions, and the director expands the grand and small connections between disparate things to cosmic proportions. His film is an engaging and often very funny exploration of the difficulties of existence, yet offering no solutions.