(PG) Fox DVD/BD

Rarely has letting go and moving on been so beautifully rendered on screen.

Contrary to its title, We Bought a Zoo is not so much about purchasing an ageing wildlife park as it is about the unescapable mark love makes upon the soul of every individual.

We Bought a Zoo is the story of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon): a recent widower who makes a monumental life change to put the past behind him by purchasing a zoo.

Based on the memoirs of Mee the film is about grief and what lies ahead. It’s about heart broken kids trying to exist in a world where their mother is no longer able to comfort them and a husband who, try as he might, can’t escape from the heartache of losing his wife.

Sure, there is a zoo in the film but it is simply the backdrop for a story about our ability to love and love again while dealing with our fragile mortality.

Director Cameron Crowe has crafted a film so full of heartfelt compassion and humour, that in reality its setting is more a backdrop than a catalyst in the healing of the Mee family members.

Of course there’s a cute monkey and a collection of adorable animals to populate the screen — but it’s the fragile emotions that tug.

Adrian Drayton