25 Cats from Qatar - Documentary Review

The Documentary: 25 Cats from Qatar

The Director: Mye Hoang

The Story: The nation of Qatar has a street cat population equal to the population of the entire country. Disease is rampant, and local adoption is rare. A Midwestern cafe owner decides to bring 25 cats to Wisconsin.

The Rating: 8 / 10

The Review:

If you know me, you know I love cats. If you know me, you know I love movies about cats. Mye Hoang is really good at making movies about cats. She's also really fun to talk to about movies and cats (Changing Directions Interview). If you haven't checked out her Cat Daddies documentary, it should be very high on your must watch list. Now, here we are with her latest feature film entitled 25 Cats from Qatar and yes, it is another must watch, especially for all you cat lovers out there.

While the movie is a documentary, it feels more like an intense thriller as Hoang follows along with Katy McHugh, her primary subject and a cat cafe owner from Milwaukee who is on a mission to rescue as many cats as she can from the streets of Qatar, a city bursting with furry felines around every corner. Of course, the documentary doesn't reach action blockbuster style thrills but there is a quiet intensity and a prevalent urgency to the journey that draws you in and keeps you engaged all the way through.

It's really interesting to see the process in which McHugh travels around the city of Qatar, meeting with her fellow kitty saviors and selecting which of the animals are best suited for a journey to the states where they could potentially be adopted at the cafe. There are so many triumphs and heart-breaking moments along with the seemingly inevitable twists and turns that come with an undertaking of this scale, it's nearly impossible not to get emotionally invested on some level.

from a technical standpoint, this is a very well-crafted documentary. The story telling is on point and, as I mentioned is very engaging from start to finish. The movie also looks beautiful with some seriously stunning camera work although Hoang also does a great job of highlighting the often dirty and downright dangerous conditions an overpopulation of cats can find themselves in. As the story progresses, you can feel McHugh's longing to bring home every single cat that crosses her path as well as the struggle of having to leave so many behind.

Ultimately, this is a story of heroes, a movie that focuses on a network of people who genuinely and truly care about the livelihood of the feline population, not just in Qatar but really everywhere around the world. Of course, the real stars of the movie are the cats themselves and the way that Mye Hoang treats them all with such reverence and respect, you really get to know each one of them based on their individual quirks and personalities. You may even want to adopt one or two of them!

Making movies isn't easy by any means although when a filmmaker is able to dive into a topic that they truly love, that's where the magic shines through and we all get to enjoy the results of that process. Of course, this was going to be a great documentary. Of course, I was going to love the movie. Of course, I believe you should find a way to watch it as soon as you are able. Also, Ms. Hoang already has a sort of sequel in the works and you can even support the Kickstarter campaign if you are so inclined.

You can find more information about both documentaries on the Official Website.

Thank you for reading this review and thank you as always for following along on my personal cinematic journey.