By traveling around the world and capturing the significance of one animal amongst varying cultures, director Lea Hartlaub unpacks human history using the giraffe.
The ancient Egyptians called a long-neck, golden furred animal “sr” within the drawings and hieroglyphs that were scattered across caves in the Sahara Desert. In the film “sr,” director Lea Hartlaub tells the history of human nature through the interpretations of this one animal: the giraffe. The film made its United States debut on March 1 at the 2024 True/False Film Fest.
In “sr,” Hartlaub magnifies specific historical events to convey the difference in human behavior and interpretations as they relate to the giraffe’s significance in varying cultures. The film travels backward, from modern times to ancient times.
This story is told through a non-traditional cinematic technique with historical artifacts including photographs, letters and ancient hieroglyphs in the center of black and tan canvases. Wide shots of different landscapes across the globe also take up the large screen. Showing these settings is an effective strategy, allowing audiences to see the places where giraffes once towered are now modernized for a more populated society.
After the slow and silent opening sequence of giraffes walking along grassy landscapes, seeing the animals in their natural habitats becomes a rare occasion throughout the rest of the German-narrated film. Hartlaub travels to many countries, mainly within the Middle East and Africa, and speaks to people who offer different perspectives on how much they value the giraffe.
Within the stillness of the different landscape shots, Hartlaub speaks to different African tribes, American historians and Israeli professors. The narrations highlight the constantly changing locations of giraffes due to political tension, religion, animal preservation efforts and human entertainment through hunting or education.
The difference between the modern and the ancient interpretations of the giraffe are intriguing. Audiences visually learn how some transporters of giraffes, such as former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, valued them for captivity and slaughter while more ancient civilizations viewed the animal as symbolic, giving giraffes anthropomorphic meaning. Egyptian pharaohs treated giraffes as loyal pets, and Chinese emperors sent the animal to other rulers as a gift.
Perhaps the most compelling visuals of the film were the frames in which librarians and researchers had their backs to the camera while a screen over their shoulders displayed old films of people putting giraffes and other animals in captivity. This kind of visual shot makes the audience feel like they are recovering parts of history that are rarely talked about in the present day.
Historical events serve as the background to the practice of transporting giraffes. Hartlaub displays artifacts and stories from historical periods including World War II, ancient Egypt and biblical stories like Noah’s Ark to demonstrate progressive change in human nature from praising giraffes to taking advantage of them.
The film covers an immense amount of history, but it still feels like a cohesive essay film that knows its limits. Although at times the film feels slow, Hartlaub did an effective job at choosing the most compelling stories to tell. Gasps and devastated reactions could be heard amongst the crowded theater, as the film demonstrates how humanity continues to take advantage of wildlife animals and how human behavior has grown careless.
Edited by Alex Goldstein | agoldstein@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Briana Iordan | biordan@themaneater.com
Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com