Part of TigerKing 's brilliance is the way it forces us to recognize horror through a veil of comedy
—or at least one that has remained in my mind long after finishing the seven-part Netflix documentary—came after Kelci “Saff” Safferty, a trans man who works at Joe Exotic’s zoo, had his arm mauled by a tiger. The injury was horrifying, and so was Saff’s decision to have the arm amputated at the elbow rather than endure the years of surgery that would be necessary to render it functional again.
I found myself wishing Saff had heard Joe’s lament while he writhed in pain, so he could react with the righteous fury that the universe demanded. And then I realized it wouldn’t matter—Exotic’s hold on his worker was stronger than a mere revelation of burning self-interest.
Of course, it’s no great shock to anyone that Joe Exotic is funny. He’s been memed practically to death sincewas released on March 20, and he’s clearly struck a chord with an American public starved for content as we wait out the COVID-19 nightmare. Despite the fact he’s a legitimately terrible person who abuses employees, tried to have a woman killed, and seems to have spent a career hurting and even murdering animals, people revere Joe Exotic.
It’s an insightful comment, but I disagree with the conclusion. I think the depth of awfulness is readily apparent for anyone with the eyes to see it, but I don’t think it’s the filmmakers’ job to beat us over the head with a moral truth. They laid out the story in a compelling—in fact transfixing—way, and if in some people’s minds the comedy overrides the sheer criminal monstrosity of men like Exotic, well, that’s because some people will never really get it.
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