Review of I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA (2007) by Thomas B — 16 Jan 2009

People who've seen the naked protests or the attention-grabbing magazine ads--or those who stumbled onto one of many Web-based campaigns on animal abuse--know People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but do they know the people behind PETA? "I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA" takes you behind the scenes of the most recognizable--and controversial--animal rights organization.

Watch as PETA plants a man in a slaughterhouse (who later recalls animal rape and torture); Newkirk, the organization's president, saves a malnourished dog from its owner, sets it up in one of PETA's posh animal suites (complete with toys and background music) and puts it to sleep; and both PETA and its detractors speak out on the organization.

Most fascinating, however, are all things Newkirk. Here's a woman who was married to a man whom she said posed no problems, but whom she divorced only because the marriage was obstructing her work with animals (that is, she hadn't the time for him); this is a woman who recalls, as a child, wanting to severely wound a man who mistreated a dog; she's someone who, in her will, wants to be barbecued (literally) and have her skin used to make fashion accessories, so that people can see (as she tells it) that we are animals, too.

(Her explanation of that is reason enough to watch this HBO documentary.).