Strange animal

>> The Witness showcases a very unusual activist

by MARK SLUTSKY

Eddie Lama is an unusual sort. A stubbly, gregarious ex-con and architectural metals contractor from Brooklyn, Lama also happens to be a dedicated vegan and animal-rights activist. He's the subject of Jenny Stein's The Witness, a roughly 40-minute documentary that chronicles his tireless efforts on behalf of abused animals and his transition from tough guy to radical.

Actually, "radical" isn't quite the right word for Lama. He doesn't fit the activist stereotype, and his case is all the stronger for it. Lama shows no sign of self-righteousness or belligerence; he states his views elegantly and simply. He's not looking to shame people, but rather to afford them an opportunity to see things the way he does. He's just such a regular guy--jokey one minute, reflective the next, slapping his employees on the back. You see him rescuing homeless cats from a parking lot, summoning them with cries of "Hey boopa! Hey papa!"

By his own admission, Lama never really liked animals or thought about their welfare until he agreed to look after a kitten in hopes of securing a date with the animal's owner. His description of his transformation is funny and touching, as he describes how he fell in love with the cat and "wanted the best" for him. Soon after, Lama quit smoking and eating meat; eventually, he was plastering anti-fur posters on the sides of his construction company's fleet of trucks, running an animal sanctuary in the country and driving around with a modified van displaying acts of cruelty to animals on a large video monitor.

Lama is so engaging that he survives the film's weaknesses--as a documentary, it's not very interestingly made, and it ends with a sequence featuring a long, unbearable Sarah McLachlan song. This should, by all means, spell disaster, but Lama's personality is such that it's somewhat forgivable.

If you're interested in seeing The Witness, know that it contains some very graphic material. There are sequences of animals being caught in horrible traps, or killed with such unspeakable methods as anal electrocution, or by being skinned alive. The filmmakers don't torture the audience with them--most of the time they're quite brief--but they are sobering to watch, as they display pretty accurately what goes on in the fur trade. And they make Lama pretty hard to argue with.

The Witness screens at a benefit for the Global Action Network at Concordia's J.A. de Sève Cinema, Aug. 10, 7pm, $10.