Where do you stand on conservation, the environment and ultimately the protection of wild species in places like Africa? Since the shooting of Cecil The Lion around 2015 by a dentist who made himself scarce given the universal and worldwide condemnation he faced, the plight of those beings near extinction across the world, highlighted by the likes of Sir David Attenborough has also brought out the very nature of our own emotional and political intent.
Rogue Rubin’s documentary LION SPY – THE HUNT FOR JUSTICE) attempts to get down and dirty with the down and dirtier hunters as she goes undercover to bring out the key issues and themes that the very nature of big game hunting has created and manifested over the decades.
Starting off in Johannesburg, amidst the very place she grew up, Rubin poses as a hunter by creating an authentically fake profile on social media and is invited to participate (with hidden cameras) in the hunting of wild lions to try and get into the mindset of what makes a predominantly male psyche hunt for personal satisfaction at tremendous expense.
Hanging out with various passionate individuals from the likes of Singapore and the USA, who are willing to pay thousands of pounds for that prized souvenir to compliment their own homes wherever they are, Rubin suddenly realizes that he fake profile cannot disguise the horrendous reality of what it truly means to be a game chaser and keeper and all the trimmings hit home in shocking ways….
This is not an easy watch at the best of times (a warning caption appears at the outset), but the context will provide you with an interesting perspective and perhaps change your perception about what the real definition of the circle of life is in classic animated films like WATERSHIP DOWN (1978) and THE LION KING (1994).
The film is a educational and fascinating chronicle of one woman’s desire to bring a major world issue to the fore and should be viewed by as wide an audience as possible. Older children and teens will definitely get some insight and perhaps a coloured perspective on what it is all about.
A valid addition to the debates it’s creating and contributing too.
Lion Spy – The Hunt For Justice will be available on Digital Download from 1st August, 2022.
For more on the film and how to contribute and donate, please go to:
https://www.lionspythefilm.com/
