Black Dog - Weggefährten

Outstanding drama directed by Hu Guan from China, so, no wonder it won the top honour in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes for this year.

The story revolves around a guy who, following a period of incarceration, comes home and takes a job ridding a town of stray dogs in time for the Olympic Games. The drama is set on the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China. However, he unexpectedly bonds with a black dog, and the two of them set out on a new adventure.

The dog star of the movie took home a dog award earlier in the day when he received the Palm Dog Grand Jury prize! If you love dogs, amazing cinematography, exceptional acting and directing - do not miss this one... impossible not to enjoy it!

"Lang" (Eddie Peng) has returned to his hometown after a term in prison. We learn a little more about the causes of that and of his distant relationship with his zoo-keeping father as the story develops, as well as discovering that he once was one of the place's more famous citizens being in a popular local band. With the Beijing Olympiad (2008) looming large, there is quite an emphasis for the government on tarting the place up - and that signals quite significant "improvements" for their home on the edge of the Gobi desert. Much of it has already been earmarked for demolition, and with most of the heart (and soul) of the place already removed, the authorities turn their attention to the serious problem of hundreds of feral dogs marauding around potentially spreading rabies. There is one particularly skinny black one that is worth 1000 Yuan if it can be caught, and that's the target for the motor-cycling "Lang". Thing is, this mutt is no mug, and is soon doing more of the chasing (and biting). One particularly embarrassing nibble sees both confined to his home in quarantine and that's when the bonds begin to become established and we also realise the extent of hostility felt by some to this man. With the bulldozers never far away, his ailing dad's zoo no longer able to care for it's tenants and the vengeful butcher "Hu" (Hu Xiaoguang) and his thugs out for revenge, we settle into a tale of this newfound friendship that's quite engaging. It's predictable in stages, but it's really the largely dialogue-free effort from Peng set against a backdrop of relentless winds, dust and trains rolling through the increasingly lifeless town that gives this a bit of potency. It's not so much that the town is being cleared because of the Olympics, though that's clearly on director Hu Guan's mind, it's that why was a town ever here in this inhospitable place in the place? It's bleak and forlorn, a concrete oasis in the middle of nowhere and that setting works well as the man himself comes across as lonely, detached as well as emotionally and physically rootless. It's a slow watch, but not one that drags, for two hours and it rather effectively sums up an existence of mundanity, lack of opportunity and a desire for a true sense of freedom quite well. Be warned, not a great deal happens - but I did enjoy it.

Black Dog is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of human resilience and the complexities of morality. Directed with remarkable subtlety, the film masterfully blends psychological depth with poetic storytelling, creating an experience that lingers long after the credits roll.

The strength of Black Dog lies in its characters. Each one is richly drawn, with motivations and struggles that feel deeply authentic. The protagonist's journey is portrayed with such raw vulnerability that it's impossible not to empathize, even as their decisions veer into morally ambiguous territory. The supporting cast elevates the narrative further, delivering performances that are understated yet profoundly affecting.

Visually, the film is a masterpiece. The cinematography captures both the starkness and the beauty of the settings, using light and shadow to evoke an atmosphere of tension and melancholy. The use of symbolism is subtle but powerful, adding layers of meaning without feeling forced or pretentious.

The pacing is deliberate but never dull, allowing the story to unfold organically. This measured approach heightens the emotional impact, drawing the audience deeper into the characters' world. The soundtrack, too, deserves special mention-it complements the narrative perfectly, blending traditional and modern elements to underscore key moments.

At its core, Black Dog is a meditation on survival and redemption. It challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about human nature while offering a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.

The Gobi desert is impressive in its desolation, but what's even more so is the desolation of this run-down small town just before the Beijing Olympic Games from 2008. I don't think I have ever seen something quite like it, on screen or in reality. This is dystopia on earth, in the not so distant past. I guess it's the only thing quietly criticizing the regime or showing the failure of Chinese society, good thing the movie is focused on something else entirely and probably that's how it got past censorship, but I am still impressed.

No animals were harmed during the making of this movie. Kidding. No, but seriously, I do not understand how they made this movie. Packs of stray dogs, it's the humans that are guilty. How many dogs this town has managed to abandon is again impressive.

Should have ended with the animals roaming free on the town streets, that felt like the climax of the movie and had a bit of a surreal feel.

Is dog man the equivalent of cat lady?

It didn't quite work for me, despite what my eyes were able to take in. I couldn't connect to the character or even root for him in particular. The plot felt aimless. Those bozos chasing him for revenge kept popping up and doing the most heinous things and then they would let it go. And then again. It made no sense. And honestly after the snakes they were irredeemable. In fact quite a lot of questionable characters here. Our lead is not particularly sympathetic either.

But OMG Jia Zhangke acts in this movie! I was actually comparing the look to Unknown Pleasures. I guess he wanted to support the movie.

This movie is not what I have expected. I was forced to sit through it with a very uninteresting viewing experience. The screen play is quite boring, loosely knitted together with no energy, no steam at all, but just a lifeless narration. What we saw in this movie is a dying town in the northern China, the livelihood is totally gone after the mining business died. What left is a pathetic town with so many ruined and empty buildings, just like what we saw in Flint, Indiana. The leading character, the protagonist as movie critics or veteran reviewers used to describe, Peng, seems to be an bad choice for such ex-con character, a complete out-of-the-place actor to play this role. His dialogue in this movie is minimum in order to portray that this guy is a loner who belongs to nowhere, even in prison, albeit his so-called hometown. There is not much to tell in this movie, and I really failed to see how the director of this movie would have won some nominations as the best director. Maybe less is more is the current trendy. Making a black stray dog as the co-acting role is just not interested enough to stimulate my urge that would give me any passion or empanthy to the whole storyline. I felt quite impatient when I watched this movie. All of the characters who appeared in this movie, those folks, young or old, cops or civilians who tried to get by in a dying town are interested enough, just like their boring dialogue to each other, to the leading role who looked more like a half dumb or deaf person. If a town is dying, if all the town folks are poor, if all of them lose hope, if their daily lives are all so boring, what would enable to make a movie interesting? Even you put a seasoned actor like Peng to play the leading character, how much he could possibly make this boring town with so many boring town folks become a bit more interesting? A spiritless young man and a black stray dog is as boring as Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea", other than somewhat literary values that usually was glorified as "Literature". Trying to tell you that "Black Dog" has certain philosophic depth is just a pretentious view that tries to look deep. How could you get anything out of nothing?