To start off, this movie seems to split the audience a bit. My group of friends, whom I saw this at a sneak peak with, had mixed opinions. Although generally positive, some liked it less. It is definitely in the art house/indie spectrum of films and thus might not be for everyone. It also has near-zero ambitions of being realistic, a fact that you just have to accept if you want to enjoy this movie.
But oh boy, is it fantastic! It is very artful, but not "artsy" in the sense that it feels forced or like an experimental film project that's barely worth watching were it not for it's art style. Instead, it delivers a full and well-rounded feature film, in which the art style feels like an extracurricular you get as a free bonus gift. Just because they can. The art style is "very over the top". From a perfectly trained army of dogs via over-exaggerated cliche characters to intriguing visuals and action scenes. And the intensity continuously increases as well, ending in a big, absurd finale. The story focuses on a broken, abused and deranged man finding his way in life and his company in dogs. Throughout his life story, we meet various characters that are vividly introduced to us from his clinically insane point of view. We get to experience his coping mechanisms with the abuse he suffered and the damage it has created in him by seeing the world through his eyes for two hours. This somewhat dark and serious story goes very well with the sometimes comical art style and reminded me a bit of Bojack Horseman to be honest, not just because of the animals.
Dogman shines with brilliant acting, a fast-paced plot and absolutely stunning imagery. Every scene is perfectly fitted out to match the character we get to meet in that particular scene. And of course... excellent use of dogs as co-stars.
But oh boy, is it fantastic! It is very artful, but not "artsy" in the sense that it feels forced or like an experimental film project that's barely worth watching were it not for it's art style. Instead, it delivers a full and well-rounded feature film, in which the art style feels like an extracurricular you get as a free bonus gift. Just because they can. The art style is "very over the top". From a perfectly trained army of dogs via over-exaggerated cliche characters to intriguing visuals and action scenes. And the intensity continuously increases as well, ending in a big, absurd finale. The story focuses on a broken, abused and deranged man finding his way in life and his company in dogs. Throughout his life story, we meet various characters that are vividly introduced to us from his clinically insane point of view. We get to experience his coping mechanisms with the abuse he suffered and the damage it has created in him by seeing the world through his eyes for two hours. This somewhat dark and serious story goes very well with the sometimes comical art style and reminded me a bit of Bojack Horseman to be honest, not just because of the animals.
Dogman shines with brilliant acting, a fast-paced plot and absolutely stunning imagery. Every scene is perfectly fitted out to match the character we get to meet in that particular scene. And of course... excellent use of dogs as co-stars.