I Was Absolutely Destroyed by Netflix’s Bravo, Zeus!
I was skeptical about Netflix’s newest documentary Dogs.
How do you create a meaningful story around a canine?
Was there going to be enough material to go around? Was it going to be 60 minutes of cute, fluffy puppies frolicking in the sun and running in the fields? Worse still, was it going to follow conventional movie fare about dogs and does the dog die in the end? *shudder*
Turns out, my fears were unfounded.
Dogs is indeed about six remarkable, lovable canines deliberately selected from locations across the globe.
But it goes beyond talking about man’s best friend.
It turns a watchful eye to the interconnection between dogs and their, very human owners. What can traditional canine attributes of loyalty, unconditional love and attention say about the humans who live around them? Even better, how can the shared love and care for a puppy inspire the humans around them to defy the odds?
I haven’t finished watching the series
But the second episode absolutely DESTROYED me.
Bravo, Zeus finds us (at least this viewer) in uncharted territory.
The episode follows Syrian refugee Ayham who has fled the war-torn country to Germany to start anew but has left his beloved Siberian husky named Zeus behind in Damascus with a friend.
Ayham’s friends and representatives from the Animals Syria rescue group get together to conceive a risky operation to reunite Ayham with his dog.
But the odds seem overwhelming.
How do you get a dog out of devastated Syria, cross the border to Lebanon and hopefully on a plane to Berlin? Any wrong move could set them back multiple steps, or doom the plan to utter failure.
As Ayham’s trustworthy friends plan and execute their plan, we catch glimpses of a worried Ayham, alone in Berlin and yearning for his dog, connected by ever-so-frequent FaceTime sessions with his dog and friends (thank goodness for technology). Through a nail-biting series of ebbs and flows, of setback after setback, the group eventually succeeds in reuniting Zeus with Ayham.
And look at how happy the two of them are!
I mean, try to watch that without tearing up.
Just… try.
This was the first time I am confronted with the harsh reality of life in war-torn Syria
When you’re living so far away and unaffected by the conflict, it’s easy to discount the impact of the war on people.
After all, all you see are statistics, cold facts and figures, and emotionless reporting. Maybe you shake your head at the impossibility of the situation, but life needs to go on after a while.
Why should you care about a conflict not happening in your part of the world?
Through Zeus and Ayham’s inventive and resilient friends, producer-director team Amy Berg and Glen Zipper have crafted a story that will speak to millions about the harsh realities of the Syrian conflict.
It’s a sobering check for us viewers of our privilege — being able to watch Ayham’s struggle with loneliness in a foreign country and the devastation that ravages Syria unfold on the screen; all from the comforts of our own homes and electronic devices.
Which is worse, not being able to see your friends and family ever again or being stuck in a city that’s being decimated by a civil war that’s dragged on for too long? The future is bleak for Syrians who continue to stay in Syria — whether by choice or by force.
Yet, Zeus’s handsome looks (just look at how fluffy he is), tendency to break out into song and lively personality serve as the anchor for everyone involved (and for us viewers).
He becomes the focal point to galvanize Ayham’s friends into action and inspire them to selflessly give of their time, energy and even risk being arrested.
Through Zeus, we see a glimpse of the better nature of human beings. And it fills us with hope; even when surrounded by senseless brutality, humans still have the potential to be brave, love unconditionally and sacrifice their time for a common mission.
Through a dog’s existence, ordinary people are inspired into heroism, individuals are reminded to love and prevail against the odds.
Maybe this is why we need dogs in our world to teach us how to be better human beings.
