Sundance Film Festival Review: ‘Sentient’ Looks at the Ethical Debate on Animal Testing

I’m an animal lover, so there are parts of Sentient that are very hard to watch. I struggle with harm being done to animals in any regard, let alone on screen. For example, I’ve long said that a film loses a half star for killing a dog unnecessarily. This documentary, while hardly gratuitous, is very intentional in what its showing us. The movie seeks to shake us and reignite the debate on animal testing. Playing at the Sundance Film Festival, it’s the type of flick I never want to see again, while being glad I’ve seen it in the first place.

Sentient will prove upsetting for some, though again, the doc is aware of that and actually somewhat counting on it. It’s never over the line and done for shock value, though I wouldn’t be surprised if some actually did find it shocking. It is, however, a revealing work that will leave you with questions about how we justify some of things humanity does. The ethical debate on animal testing is a passionate one, to be sure, and here, it’s given another strong voice to add to the conversation.

This is both the story of Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, as well as an investigation into laboratory research on animals. Lisa had always wanted to go into medicine and was convinced that she was going to save the world. Old footage of her at work shows a determination on her face, though given the world of animal testing she was becoming a part of, doubts and reticence were already forming.

Questioning the fact that animal testing, and specifically tests done on primates, is necessary for medical research, the doc has insider accounts of just how traumatic the experience is. That doesn’t just go for the animals in question, but the researchers and scientists who are doing the tests as well. Ultimately, the film is asking audiences to consider how, regardless of whether humans might have a need to test on animals, flawed as that thinking appears to be, do we actually have a moral right to do so?

Director Tony Jones keeps you engaged in part due to the investigative nature of the documentary. The disturbing footage he showcases from these laboratories is hard to watch, but also presented in a matter of fact way that lets the acts speak for themselves. No one will ever deny the importance of medical research (well, maybe not no one, given where we’ve sunk to as a society these days), but it will prove hard to exit this flick not hoping that humanity can find a better way to achieve our medical breakthroughs. Our animal friends deserve better.

Sentient is the type of documentary that Sundance shines a light on year after year. Whether it moves forward and shows up during awards season is a long time away. For now, it’s a festival offering that can help make the world a better place, provided you can gird yourself for the experience.

SCORE: ★★★