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EUR FILM REVIEW: Your Mommy Kills Animals
In Your Face Documentary Makes Case for Animal Rights
*Did you know that PETA puts more pets to sleep than it finds homes for? Or that the Humane Society doesn't maintain a single animal pound or shelter, yet does fund lobbyists who raise hundreds of millions on its behalf by preying on the emotions of people who think their donations are being spent for the benefit of animals?
If you want to educate yourself about the internal workings of the non-profit, prevention of cruelty to animals racket, might I suggest Your Mommy Kills Animals, an in your face documentary directed by Curt Johnson, who definitely designed this call to arms with provocation in mind. Be forewarned, this is not a flick which allows you to sit on the fence, but prompts you to pick a side by graphically depicting a variety of ways in which animals are being mistreated in America, often with the tacit approval of societies supposed to be watching out for the critters' best interests.
As a result, don't be surprised to find yourself rooting for the radical Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and other more confrontational elements of the movement who employ civil disobedience as tactics. Early on, the film devotes considerable time to illustrating how corporations slaughter and exploit animals for their fur, for their flesh, for amusement, and for cosmetic and medical research.
This makes the outrageous antics of the animal liberation activists understandable, such as when they arouse a sleeping corporate executive at home in the middle of the night with cries of "Wake up, puppy killer!" or when they call a wealthy woman walking down the street wrapped in a full-length mink "Filthy pervert!" It's just a shame that in response to picketing, rather than rethink their use of animals in research, big business has simply begun to outsource the work to China, Ghana, Pakistan and South Korea, countries where such protest is not tolerated.
Your Mommy Kills Animals couldn't have arrived at a more timely moment, given the recent arrest of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on federal charges for hanging, drowning, electrocuting and beating dogs to death. The notoriety of that indictment ought to generate interest in this flick along with empathy for the plight of all living creatures currently being subjugated in any fashion at the whim of heartless humans.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity and scenes of animal abuse and suffering.
Running time: 106 minutes
