DogMan
A boy, bruised by life, finds his salvation through the love of his dogs.
- Released: 2023-06-15
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Genre: Action, Drama, Western
- Stars: Caleb Landry Jones, Marisa Berenson, Christopher Denham, Jojo T. Gibbs, James Payton, Frédéric Guérin, Bennett Saltzman, Gwyneth Anne Trumbore, Derek Siow, Avant Strangel, Corinne Delacour, Naima Hebrail Kidjo, Luing Andrews, Aven Campau, Jeff Mantel, William Sciortino, C.C. DeNeira, Genevieve O'Neal, Laetitia Mampaka, Michael Garza
- Director: Luc Besson
Comments
- waypastkewl - 3 June 2024
Their lives are too short.
From the moment the opening quote (I had to look up the origin) from Alphonse de Lamartine, "Wherever there is an unfortunate, God sends a dog", to the cut-to-black accompanied by the (and I had to look up the title of this) famous song "Non, je ne regrette rien", I was enthralled. When the credits began to roll I stood up and applauded as tears rolled down my cheeks. I was home alone so I felt comfortable enough to weep in sadness for our tragic protagonist'a finale, save for my dog, who stood outside my bedroom door waiting for me to give her another cookie simply just for being a good girl.
Truly, I do not believe this film will be praised by all, and I wholly expected to find critics knocking it for it's unbelievability and our lead Caleb Landry Jones' performance, but I was absolutely mesmerized by his dedication to the role. Of course, there would be many who besmirch the film for being too far fetched. The idea that a dog could comprehend human emotion and speech is absolute fiction, that is, to casual humans who do not truly believe that their dog understands them.
Surely, the average human who comes and seeks an animal companion for the novelty of having a cute furry friend in their home still registers this bond as "owner and pet." As a society, we were taught that dogs go in the dog house and eat food off the floor because that's where they belong. And even those who devote an abundance of their finances to caring for the lives of animals still refer to our canine companions as "they're just dogs," no matter the love they show for these trusted quadrupeds that ask us for walks and beg for scraps at the dinner table. I am by no means holding myself higher than the foremost of dog lovers, but I understand that if a person is just in the very specific frame of mind, this film can mean a whole great deal to them, emotionally and spiritually. For me, this film comes at a time in my life where I prize company of canines over a close-knit group of friends, not out of fear of misunderstanding, but a fear of being perceived and understood but still being rejected for who I am and strive to be.
Please know the volume of my writing is my truest words, unfiltered and unashamed, to which I apologize for only if it causes discomfort- because you asked for my thoughts on the film, and to give them, I would have to share a bit about myself.
There's a quote I recall that a dog's only flaw is that their lives are too short, and I did not research it because I remember quite clearly that it ends with "their only fault, really", as if it were up to them that their lifespans were not longer. Of course, I could be misunderstanding, but darn it I resent the possibility, no matter how much I agree with the fact that the quote is about how we as people wish that dogs lived longer. Growing up and having the opportunity to meet all kinds of people that I have in my privileged life, I now have another flaw of dogs added to my list- making it now two flaws that dogs have, and it's the quote that Douglas says in the film
"As far as I can tell, they only have one flaw: they trust humans."
Amazing. Simply amazing. And I do believe that the uninitiated, casual moviegoer looking for another blockbuster superhero film or CG experience could not begin to understand the nuance of the line (but I love superheroes and comics, don't get me wrong...however, I do believe I love dogs more).
With the state of the world today, and from whatever side of the fence you stand, it is not as comfortable as it was yesterday, or the day before. No longer do we live in a world where a child can be a "latchkey kid", as it were, nor can we go online today without polarizing opinions being thrust upon another, dividing friends and even families until it possibly even leads to the justification of violence. Shambles. As our youngest modern generation would say: "The vibe is in shambles." And who is to blame for our current state of the world, be it political, thermonuclear, racial, judicial, societal, ethical? Humans.
To think that something so beautiful from the moment that they are born, can become as monstrous as the fiercest historical figure that has ever stood on the face of the Earth; to have the same capacity to spread love and joy, and then take away only to cause pain and suffering...- humans are the most flawed of all the creatures that roam this planet.
How queer is it, that from the moment they are born and perchance lock eyes with their bipedal, historically asserted superiors, that dogs give unconditional love and trust to us, the human race.
I chose to be fully captivated by the intense weight of that line, delivered by Caleb Landry Jones, because how accurate it is to our species today. The reason I wept when the credits began was not only because I appreciated the storytelling and the performances of all the actors, actresses, and those capable working animals (they were such good boys and girls!), but because I felt this film spoke to me about all of my feelings of humanity and how dogs still continue to trust us. To love us. That they place such an important responsibility in our hands, taking care of them- whether by their will or not, is heartbreaking and heart wrenching at the same time. I do not ever believe that we as a species will ever truly be able to give back enough to them for all the joy they have given hundreds of thousands of millions of people all throughout all our lifetimes.
From Laika from the streets of Moscow to the depths of outer space, to Hachiko waiting forever his beloved Ueno-san in Shibuya, to the tragedy of poor Cujo on the silver screen in the 80s, to the family of hundreds of dogs that Douglas "Doug" Monroe found a family in, dogs can the novelty toy that we humans engage with and then discard in favor of tomorrow's newest shiniest thing, and also the absolute definition that history has come to define as "human's best friend". I'm sure there are other films out there about how a human finds family in a trusty canine companion (Air Bud, A Dog's Purpose, Marley & Me, etc) but this film shows the absolutely unbelievably believable concept that dogs are God's way of making it up to us for the history that is our planet's, no matter how deep-rooted in fiction it may be.
There is, after all, a reason why "dog" is "God" spelled backwards. - algrantham-49248 - 7 May 2024
Deeply stupid but somewhat interesting
Dogman. Where to start?
It's hard to imagine this film gets made without Landry Jones - deep here into his pursuit of replicating Johnny Depp's career as musician-turned-outsider-thespian with an emphasis on bizarre roles. Don't get me wrong, he's a great actor (recently proven in the far, far, far superior film Nitram), but I hope he doesn't simply settle into accepting whatever outwardly strange role slides across his desk.
He plays the titular role here - a cross dressing man who develops an otherworldly relationship with canines as the result of childhood trauma. Then he becomes a vigilante philosopher, or something.
It's all very, very silly, so when true blue weirdo Luc Besson tries to interject loftier themes about religion, the nature of reality, love, etc it's impossible to take seriously.
