An animated drama about the life of cryptids, fantastic beasts with features of animals, people, and mythical creatures who are threatened by ordinary humans.
A loving hippie couple finds refuge in the forest and suddenly discovers Cryptozoo on its border, which looks like both a zoo and a military base. It is inhabited by cryptids—mysterious hybrids of animals, humans, and mythical creatures. This reservation is patrolled by cryptid rights activist Lauren Gray and her colleague Joan, who aims to prove that humans and cryptids can live together.
The question of coexistence with these stranger creatures is decided by people. A special space is created for cryptids, which is safe but also exhibits them. This environment only seems to be inclusive, since it still separates cryptids from the rest of the world and emphasizes their otherness: images of Cryptozoo inhabitants become prototypes for local souvenirs and attractions. The state also exploits and seeks to enslave them, using their skills and specific features in wars and the fight against revolutionaries.
Writer, animator, and author of graphic novels Dash Shaw has created a picturesque story about ethics and human motivations, which is both an allusion to twentieth-century wars and cataclysms and a modern statement about how to live together.
The film will be screened in English with Russian subtitles.
Cryptozoo
Dir. Dash Shaw
USA, 2021. 95 min. 18+