Review of Trophy (2017) by Christopher H — 01 Mar 2018

'Trophy' is everything that's great about documentary filmmaking. Instead of preaching, the documentarians give a nuanced down the middle view from all angles. Hence, it's likely that viewers from one of the many sides of hunting will like this movie.

Every person chronicled is humanized. Nobody is made to be the bad guy. The hunters are treated with respect. The conservationists, who often come off when you listen to them speak as having god-complexes, are portrayed with dignity. We hear each side (and there are more than two) from the people closest to the hunting. Some of the hunts are legal but many are illegal. We only get to witness he legal ones. What it comes down to for me is: Some people believe earth is here to serve man and some people think man is here to serve the earth. Is it selfish to hunt animals legally? Is it self-righteous to think you alone can preserve a species? This is interesting and a must-watch if you are into hunting or believe in saving the planet and it will equally frustrate both parties. Final Score:9.6/10.