Give Me Shelter

While Katie Cleary and Kristin Rizzo's animal welfare documentary appears to have the best of intentions, the decision to fill Give Me Shelter with celebrity activists makes it feel a bit like an infomercial. The film opens with brief statements from speakers that are juxtaposed with quotes from Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and other famous figures. The rest follows a similar pattern with close-ups of the participants intercut with shot-on-the-fly footage of cruelty and neglect. Some of the material is quite disturbing, especially the images of seal clubbing, dogs who haven't received proper medical care, and abandoned horses en route to slaughter. An inter-title notes that only 26 states regulate puppy mills, and just 15 have restrictions against the sale and ownership of exotic pets, such as tigers and chimpanzees. In their interviews, actors and actresses—including Michael Vartan, Charlotte Ross, and Tippi Hedren (who founded Shambala Big Cat Preserve)—cite other injustices, such as animal testing, the mistreatment of circus elephants, and the displacement of orangutans in Indonesia due to palm oil production, while additional speakers including rescuers, trainers, and equestrians weigh in. But Cleary and Rizzo cast too wide a net, and some viewers will feel more overwhelmed than motivated to take action, despite the sound advice offered at film's end. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)