I stumbled onto Will Niava’s debut short film,
Zoo, via a still I saw online: a close-up of a young man’s face under blue neon, framed by cigarette smoke. Curious about this striking image, I tracked down the film and was immediately pulled into its unsettlingly immersive story, precise and dynamic camera movements, and skillfully designed soundscape.
Zoo follows an evening in the life of Amos (Amos Nzamba), an emotionally detached young man living in the suburbs of Montreal. He spends his days hanging out with his friends Slim (Brendan Sheehan) and Santos (Ian Contreras) but doesn’t think much of them. One evening in the parking lot of a convenience store, a misunderstanding between Amos and a troubled man (Ian Cloutier) quickly escalates into a full-blown confrontation. Niava, who contributed to every aspect of production, assembled a talented group of collaborators who helped bring his vision to life. The film, which is featured alongside Michael Haneke’s
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