WALL OF TEXT: THE LOST TIGER

 

WALL OF TEXT: THE LOST TIGER. It has not seen a worldwide release, and after watching it I understand why: it has too much to say. In fact, it has more to say than the Zootopia movies. It’s about cultural theft for the prestige and profit of “Western” institutions at the expense of independent cultures. Unlike Zootopia’s cowardly portrayal of oppression, The Lost Tiger has something to say about indigenous peoples and how they’re perfectly fine without outsiders stealing their culture just to put their stuff in a museum. On the surface it’s about Teo, an orphaned thylacine raised by a family of kangaroos, looking for where he comes from and why he’s different. He partners with a museum specializing in “lost” cultures, only for the people he trusted to invade and loot the place. The themes are not subtle, but it’s so rare to see them: indigenous peoples are fine. They don’t need money or “help” from outsiders. Some of the reviews on IMDB amount to: If not for white people, you wouldn’t have been able to make your stupid movie at all, so show some gratitude for having your culture obliterated! If your first reaction to seeing The Lost Tiger is to take it as a personal attack against the West, then you’ve missed the point. It’s why the movie won’t see a wide release: it has too much to say, and Americans especially don’t want to hear from indigenous peoples. America wants to “celebrate” them, but not in a way that acknowledges what happened to them. I presume it’s the same in Australia. It’s hard to find, but it’s worth watching. Go see it. (Only 5.2 on IMDB? It’s better than that! His dad’s abs alone are worth 6.0!)