WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Everything in nature must die, but some things may be preserved for posterity. Humans, who claim to have mastered nature by their ability to heal and make whole, have had a relationship with decay for a long time. Still, none shows this relationship as eloquently as the art of taxidermy. The two films are centered around this peculiar art form, and roughly cover the same ground, only “Animus Animalis” focuses on Lithuania, and “Stuffed” takes a broader reach, observing some parts of the English-speaking world. In both films, you have taxidermists, both museum-employed and amateurs, create stunning works for personal perusal, for museum exhibits, and special interest competitions. In “Stuffed,” they discuss the complexities and nuances of their craft, while “Animus Animalis” lets their art speak for itself. “Animus Animalis” also forays into the areas where art is not a part of the human relationship with animal death, such as hunting and farming.

WHY DO WE CARE: Taxidermy is not a new art. In some form or other, it has existed since Ancient Egypt and enjoyed bouts of popularity during Renaissance and the Victorian era, while also continuously present in its less embellished but no less advanced forms in hunting-adjacent activities. The rise of visual online media has boosted interest in taxidermy, as the foray of objects of rogue taxidermy and bad taxidermy into meme territory brought new waves of appreciation for the more traditional creations. But as the aesthetic value of taxidermy stays in fashion, the ethical side of the matter remains obscure to the majority of the viewers, like the value that taxidermists attach to animal life. This is best shown in “Animus Animalis,” where gentle taxidermist Vasilijus Vasiliauskas is infuriated when he receives a phone call from a woman looking to stuff a live beaver that she can’t take with her while moving. The parallel between different approaches also becomes evident when Žegulytė juxtaposes hunters who celebrate the religious hunting holiday of St. Hubert’s with chasing and then butchering a deer with a deer farmer who tries to give one of his does an emergency life-saving surgery. “Stuffed” also touches upon the murky waters, when one of the taxidermists admits to also sharing a passion for hunting. But neither of the films pass judgment, choosing instead to let the viewer make their own assumptions about the way animal death stacks up against various everyday practices outside of the art sphere.