By Justin Almodovar
originally published: 01/30/2022

It’s Not Safe for You in this Zoo is a short film by John Garet Stoker that will be playing at the New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, January 30, 2022. It’s a film about a modern couple [a female businesswoman and a male artist] who’s differences are beginning to put a strain on their relationship. The audience is given all of its’ information in the form of dialogue between the two main characters and the conversations that these people share are packed with commentary on the human experience in a developed society.

The first words in the film are “It’s the first, babe, so don’t forget rent,” which are said by the female character. It’s important to note that she is dressed in business attire head to toe, while her counterpart is still in his pajamas and looks a bit disheveled. With just one line of dialogue and expert costuming, Stoker immediately introduces his characters to the audience and sets up the dynamic between them; their individual contributions seem to be disproportionate.

The first thing I found interesting about this film was how they chose to switch traditional gender roles and make the female character the primary provider in the relationship. While this is extremely common in our society, as we’ve thankfully evolved to recognize each other as equal, it still may not be something that audiences expect from film. It also adds to this particular storyline because it helps the audience to quickly categorize the male character as a starving artist. In doing so, the audience is inclined to secretly debase him as he cannot perform his basic [male] societal function of providing for those he loves.

What’s interesting about this film is that it chooses to show support for this man, though it does not seem like that support is warranted. The female character questions her counterpart periodically throughout, but what transpires after her questions are conversations between two people who are unwavering in their support for each other. This is interesting to me because I know how hard it can be to work with someone in building a life, and issues with money/career contributions can be particularly strenuous. In that way, healthy conversations where both parties are validating the other’s concerns are just hard to have; we’re human, after all.

To put that into perspective, let me give you an example. In one of the “arguments” that the couple has, the female character brings up the fact that her experience, as far as society is concerned, is vastly different than the male’s. She is a woman of color, and he is a white male. A woman of color pursuing a career is hard pressed to be taken seriously if she is deemed unworthy in any way. In other words, she is not really allowed to be an [lazy] artist. The man, while still trying to figure out how his art fits in the world, needs to understand that it is a privilege for him to be able to do so while still being given opportunities after producing little to no tangible progress. What’s interesting is that the characters in this film are able to accept each other’s perspectives, move forward after this argument, and continue to support each other.

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This is huge. It is easy to dismiss this male character as worthless [you’ll have to watch the film to really see why], but he is representative of a real person with real struggles; it’s hard to keep passion in art when it’s also being relied upon to make a substantial profit. As far as society is concerned, the woman in the film is far more advanced than her male counterpart, and her unwavering support of him seems unwarranted. Though, it forces us to question what we deem valuable in life and in our relationships; does it really matter how our partners contribute to society, or do we choose to love them regardless of what they can offer? Watch It’s Not Safe for You in this Zoo and decide for yourself.

Here is John Garet Stoker’s Introduction to the screening of It’s Not Safe for You in this Zoo at the Spring 2022 New Jersey Film Festival.