A Joaquin Phoenix Animal Rights Documentary Helped Defuse a Ukraine Hostage Situation

A 2005 animal rights documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix called “Earthlings” in part helped Ukrainian officials defuse a tense hostage situation. The New York Times reported Wednesday that a 12-hour hostage situation ended after a gunman demanded, among other things, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky endorse the documentary, which he did in a now-deleted post to his Facebook. “Everybody watch the 2005 film ‘Earthlings,'” Zelensky said in…