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Verdict: Guinea Pig Diaries is the 2022 must-see movie of the year
“Life without guinea pigs is possible but senseless,” laughs Petra Gemeinhardt during the opening sequence of the 2022 film Guinea Pig Diaries. Surrounded by cages and high-pitched wheeks, Petra shows us around her flat in Munich, and she introduces us to a few of her cavies: Sigourney Weaver, Betty Boop, Mr. Colombo and Yolanda. It only gets better from there.
The Humans recently sat down to preview Olympia Stone and Suzanne Mitchell’s documentary film Guinea Pig Diaries, and the results are in: Guinea Pig Diaries is the must-see movie of 2022.
What’s the film about?
Saskia of the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue
Guinea pigs are front and center for the entire run time of the film, which clocks in just over an hour at 107 minutes. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Packed inside each “over-the-shoulder” camera angle that make up most of the film, we meet dozens of adorable guinea pigs — from Teddies to Shelties to Rexes and everything in between — and we meet their humans who share heartwarming and real stories about what guinea pigs mean to them. We meet a guinea pig rescue in Southern California (hi, Los Angles Guinea Pig Rescue!), a Canadian YouTuber, a guinea pig hotelier from the United Kingdom and many others including Dr. Anne McBride, an animal behaviorist who’s dedicated her life to studying the “human-guinea pig connection.”
Behind the scenes at Guinea Pig Diaries
Who stars in the film?
Each person featured in the film introduces us to a different facet of guinea pig care taking and what makes them so crazy about these fuzzy “bricks with round corners” (as Petra describes cavies).
It’s inspiring to hear about how others have dedicated their lives to helping and caring for pet guinea pigs, and how much joy the little fuzzy friends bring to their everyday lives.
A few of the film’s humans:
- Saskia Chiesa of Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue shares about what it takes to run a successful rescue operation (and the logistics involved staging an operation to rescue hundreds of guinea pigs in 2017)
- Canadian YouTuber SkinnyPigs1 brings us into her home and introduces us to her herd of skinny (and fuzzy) pigs, and what all the planning and work involved in providing adequate medical care for an aging cavy friend
- Sylvia Flantua, who runs the Cavia Foundation in Bakkeveen, Netherlands, gives us a tour of her property where she provides medical care, adoption services and loving forever homes for her army of shelter cavies
- Ian Cutmore operates a boutique guinea pig hotel from his home in the United Kingdom, and he says business is booming as people want a safe and trustworthy way to provide their guinea pigs with love and care while they’re away on holiday
Each person in the film has a unique story to tell, and each story is centered around its most important character: the guinea pig (and, more often than not, many, many guinea pigs).
Sylvia Flantua outdoor guinea pig patch is the Best. Thing. Ever!
Who should watch Guinea Pig Diaries
Everyone! No, really! The film is an excellent introduction to what it takes to care for guinea pigs, and it’s an important reminder on the amount of time, energy, patience and resources that goes into raising happy and healthy cavies.
Whether you’re thinking about welcoming guinea pigs into your life, or whether you’re a long-time guinea pig caretaker, cozying up to Guinea Pig Diaries with a cavy on your lap is an afternoon or evening well spent.
Where to watch Guinea Pig Diaries?
You can rent Guinea Pig Diaries online at the official film website.
Tell us what you think!
Did you watch Guinea Pig Diaries? What did you think?
Let us know in the comment area! We’d love to hear from you.
