Four years were necessary by this film's creative team to raise funding adequate for screening the work, with its setting in Montreal, and its essence as a narrative wayward albeit its production characteristics may well offset its storyline weaknesses for some who will view it by video tape. Winner of a record-setting 13 Genie Awards (Canada's "Oscar" equivalent), the film was the directorial début for Jean-Claude Lauzon, who received a standing ovation at Cannes in 1987 after the picture's showing there, the audience obviously of the belief that there were more than enough artistically positive elements within it to counterbalance its patchwork plot. Lauzon directed but two films prior to his death caused by piloting his airplane into the side of a mountain. He once stated of himself "I always need to be in motion", and this trait, in conjunction with a career background in advertising, probably accounts in part for his maintenance of a frenetic pace for this violence weighted affair. As action begins, Marcel (Gilles Maheu) is being stripped of any dignity that he may have possessed by being forcibly sodomized within his prison cell, and soon after we watch him exit from the prison after completing a two year sentence for some type of narcotics violation. Marcel returns to his apartment that he somehow has managed to retain during his absence and is immediately after visited by a pair of dishonest police detectives who demand $200,000 in cash that he "owes" to them and which he apparently has secreted in too cunning a manner for them to uncover. One of the detectives, George (Lorne Brass) is a homosexual steeped in sadism and it is Marcel's determined efforts to keep the hidden money from the duo while fiercely struggling physically against them that comprise about half of a plot line which also focuses upon the young man's endeavour to repair a severed relationship with his dying father (Roger Le Bel). While Marcel's behaviour upon occasion seems to be vacant of sensate purpose, a viewer will be thankful that his girl friend's appearances in the film are brief, and that the bizarre climactic scenes involving father and son are not lengthier. Some of the film's setups must be deemed as intentionally, in addition to symbolically, grotesque, and there are too many instances when both logic and continuity go begging. Endeavours by a viewer to hearken back to any sort of justification for such episodes will be futile. The earnestly diligent cast members work at creating their roles, with Brass being especially effective as an unprincipled policeman. Dialogue is largely Québécois with a sprinkling of English. Subtitles in the latter tongue are for the most part accurate. Although difficulty for viewers to ken a meandering narrative will be a bit of an impediment, the film is not dull. Well past the film's initial release date, the many awards given it for performances by its crew members are completely understandable, as production quality is never less than excellent. However, the general acclaim from Canada and at Cannes might lead one to presume that its competition may have been, at best, somewhat weak.

I have read the posted comments on the website and I found they are all from Canada. It goes to show that many interesting films are never outside the country of their origin. I came across "Un zoo la nuit" in the suspense section of a local video store and it appeared to haven't been rented in some time. The cover was beyond deceptive because I saw a woman on it who was screaming and the title "NIGHT ZOO" in bold red caps. I usually take a chance on watching many different movies and this is one I do recommend on some level and here are my reasons (spoilers herein).(1) Gilles Maheu and Roger Lebel portrayed the father and son in probably the most realistic father-and-son relationship that I have ever played out on screen. It was shockingly deep considering the negative events surrounding it. (2) Marcel's (played by Gilles Maheu) interaction's with his ex-girlfriend Julie were plotted and written correctly. I think if that angle had been explored more, it would have stolen very much from the film. (3) When it comes to being realistic, I think this film shatters the good guy-bad guy stereotypes and how they interact. Marcel is threatened by a rather unsavory pair of cops and one of them cuts him in the face with a switchblade and beats Marcel with a garbage can when Marcel tries to retaliate. No special effects or explosives needed there. (4) I liked the mixture of English and French speech used in the dialogue. The dialogue wasn't hokey or forced at all. (5) My favorite scene was the shoot-out between Marcel, his friend from prison, and the two cops. It wasn't a typical action sequence at all. (6) There a small scattering of humor throughout the film so it didn't seem so utterly hopeless. (7) The feel of the film to me dealt mostly with loss and I felt the cinematography and musical score backed that aspect rather well. (8) This was a rather stunning debut from Jean-Claude Lauzon. His writing and direction were (considering the times) definitely out there talentwise and I think that is grounds to for award consideration. He took home two of his own Genie awards for both writing and direction. Eight reasons give this film a score of eight.What robs this film of a perfect score is the gross nature of some scenes. I nearly wanted to gag when Marcel was raped at the beginning. I guess the material was needed to show how negative this film actually is. There is no shortage of misery and I call viewers to beware this film if they don't have a strong stomach. The other reason was the zoo scene where the elephant was shot. I actually thought that elephant had been killed inside of its cage. I am not anti-hunting but I don't believe shooting a caged animal is right unless it needs to be euthanized. If you are an animal lover, shut your eyes when you get to that scene.Overall, I found "Un zoo la nuit" to be a rather watchable film. It is perfect for a movie fiend looking for something completely different. Despite a few nasty and misery-laden scenes, it is perfect for anytime viewing. Here ends my rant!

It has its shocking elements, but Un Zoo La Nuit is, in the end, a touching film about a son trying to re-establish his relationship with his dying father. The zoo surreal zoo scene is particularily touching, in which the father and son, in an attempt to relive their past by going hunting, shoot an elephant with a sleeping dart gun and put him to sleep. Overall, a well-executed and thoughtful movie.

I saw this film in a Canadian university film history class(where they made us watch lots of Canadian movies you would never pay to see). The teacher told us that this film proves that Canada can make a Hollywood-style cop-action flick.I can only assume he was joking. This was a convoluted, out-of-touch-with-society mess. It starts out with the main character getting raped by an inmate--then we see him engage in a near pornographic display with a hooker. It becomes down right hokey near the end when(SPOILER WARNING)the main character's father suffers a heart attack and is being rushed to the hospital and the young man is chasing after it...Then we have the zoo incident. The father and son decide to go moose hunting so they can experience the good ol days. If this was meant to be a tender scene it sure didnt make me sympathetic to them. They cant find a moose in the city so they go to the Zoo--and decide to shoot an elephant instead. The way the elephant "lies down" was pathetic and fake-looking--and I dont see how shooting a caged animal is going to generate any more sympathy from the audience than if they had gone into the forest to shoot a moose--but that's a Canadian film for you. Strange social customs. I'll take a formula Hollywood cop-buddy flick over this any day.