Siempre a tu lado

Saw this movie while traveling in Belarus it brought me to my knees this was a show of the ages and without question a Richard Gere classic and performance of a lifetime this show will be Seen for Years and lifetimes to come I have been back in the U.S. for 2 weeks now and tell everyone about it I think of it many times a day it was yes----that good this is a movie You will never ever forget or get it out of your mind and heart will see it again when it opens in the US in December you may think this is a over statement but when you leave the theater it will be a known fact you will remember this show for ever it was and is a classic forever and a true story to boot...... wow.

Finally a film from the USA (albeit based on a true story in the 1920s Japan) that is without guns, explosions and free of violence and not based at all on romantic elements!

"Love and Loyalty" succinctly sums up the film. The love so simple, so pure and the loyalty so unfailing, so steadfast that it would melt any steel heart. I was so embarrassed that as soon as the film came to the end I dashed straight into the loo only to see my eyes sore red (!!)

The main characters never "take flight" but that matters not at all. It's the simple story of the love between a man and his best friend that more than sufficiently works all the wonders. Not a sad one, but profoundly touching, So touching that even a tough guy like me couldn't possibly hold his tears.

Hachiko, the Akita dog, has set the Yardstick of loyalty under which all loyalty among us human beings are to be measured. Loyalty that is truly monumental. Loyalty that is to be surpassed only by God Himself.

A must-watch film, especially for all dog lovers. Highly recommended for all families and people of all ages.

I first knew about "Hachiko: A Dog's Story" because of Sarah Roemer, my favorite actress. When I read more about this movie and found out that Richard Gere and Joan Allen were in the cast too, I was really excited.

I saw the movie on 29 Setember at "Festival do Rio de Janeiro" and I loved it! It's really powerful and touching. I loved how they showed the dog's vision in black & white.

The only thing that I didn't like at all was that the characters seems to "never take flight". I know Parker (Richard Gere) and the dog Hachiko are the main characters, but I think that the other characters could have been explored a bit more. But I do understand why it wasn't done.

If you are a dog person, you will definitely love this movie! It's a sad, beautiful story that touches everyone's heart! A must-see.

I had a dog like this. She followed me everywhere I went til the day she died. Dring the last six months of her life had to hand feed her every day and although it was very painful for her to eat, her will to live kept her alive. Eventually she could no longer eat because the cyst on her mouth was so large that she could no longer get food down. She lasted much longer than they said she should have. And when I went to put her down they were amazed that she lasted as long as she did. When they gave her the injection, she did not die. They gave her another injection, she did not die. They had to give her well above the normal dose to put her to sleep, her will to live was amazing. She wanted to be with me and fought to the very end to do so. Putting her to sleep was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

If you find a dog like this, treasure it, life is too short. There is nothing in this world like the love and loyalty of a dog.

Knowing the real-life story behind it, Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009) has been made in a sort of staged documentary style, similar to the kind of movies often seen on documentary channels (e.g. NatGeo), however without a narrator so common in documentaries, and including well-known actors (Richard Gere, Sarah Roemer and Joan Allen), making it more suitable for theatrical distribution.

Before my last year's visit to Tokyo I've been unaware of the true-life story this movie is based upon. In time an occasion came up to meet a friend in Shibuya city, contemporary center of Tokyo's youth culture (shopping, fashion, nightlife...), and that's how I've learned about the popular local meeting point for all Tokyoites, the Hachikō Akita dog statue just outside of Shibuya Train Station, but the real story behind it has been still eluding me ever since. After seeing this movie, and some additional research on the web, all pieces have fallen into place.

In retelling the story of common bonding between the dog and its owner, so usual that it comes so natural, film is moving at slow pace, following events of an ordinary life, though not without occasional comedic and dramatic overtones. Even past the dramatic highpoint, when common acts of affection and loyalty evolve towards such an unheard-of faithfulness and ultimate devotion, pace of the storytelling does not change, relying primarily on fine details and emotional build-up. Of course, this might not attract everybody, providing that majority of movie audience today is highly dependent on fast paced, action packed scenes, getting thrills from 3D CG stylized ambiance and suspense, high volume amplitudes and aggressive, often rude highlights of any other nature. However, for those who can do without it, and keep alive their interest even in a simple story, who won't shy away from emotional involvement (as if this can be controlled), they shall easily find themselves consumed by its mere beauty and warmth. Usual man's-best-friend story, spiced with an intriguing yet inspiring detail, shall leave you a bit sad, inevitably pensive, but ultimately delighted. Even more so after the reading of the real-life epilogue.