Le Procès du chien

Boy, this movie is a stinker.

Laetitia Dosch debut feature is a satirical comedy about the legal system of France with cuteness of dogs and the insanity behind it. Unfortunately, despite a good concept and a solid performance from Dosch, the movie really bites down hard, in the worst way.

Filled with cheap production designs and poor writing, Dosch seems to struggle with how to maintain the narrative on balancing the humor and dramatic elements together. Many of the comedic moments felt flat and the characters feeling one-dimension and straight up, annoying. The characters were really uninteresting and annoying to the point despite the performances doing their best, it made it difficult to really believe a single word from them. Alongside with poor uses of music and some really awful dialogue moments.

There are some nice uses of colors and the dog's performance is solid. However, it's clear what the intentions are but the execution falls really poorly.

Billed as a comedy, this movie is a real tragedy. Badly conceived and badly written with an awful ending that contradicts the affection every audience member will feel for Cosmos, the wonderful dog, and his attorney. The dog is amazing and has a beautiful soul. His owner is miscast and his story is accessory and takes away from the story itself. Until the terrible end, the movie is lovely and the love scene between the attorney and the dog trainer is beautiful. And the scenes of Cosmos in the forest with the attorney and the trainer are beautiful too. But in the end, the movie spits on its audience. Shame!

The whole film rests on Laetitia Dosch, actress, screenwriter and director. She pulls it off well, making a film that has its own identity. She brings her own tone and style to the film, with touches of humor that can be deadpan at times. The dialogues are beautifully crafted. The film contains a stimulating energy, embodied by the character of the lawyer, played by Laetitia Dosch herself, who we never know if she's great or lost. Her energy constantly pulls the film forward, whether she's in front of or behind the camera.

The film often brings a smile to an apparently ridiculous subject, even if we're not interested in the legal argument used. Complementary characters are also well handled: Jean-Pascal Zadi as the dog psychologist, François Damiens as the dog's owner in an understated performance (compared to his usual exuberance) or Anne Dorval as the prosecutor who wants to have the dog euthanized. Although they are caricatures, they are not patronized. A successful first film.

And sexy ... well in a way I reckon! So no pun intended - the way the movie starts ... it is quite wild! But not in ... well in an animalistic way for some reason ... erotic in a way, though I am not sure what kind of ... sexiness one might be able to take out of it.

The dog(s) play it as cool as possible. There is quite a lot of realness ... which also means that you might not be able to deduct how this movie will end. But while it feels real - it also is over the top and silly at times. All the religious people and all the discussion about the dog and how it should be ... well categorized ... feels quite off. And yet, I could imagine something like that actually happened ...the connection between our main character and the young boy from the apartment next door ... well that is a nice touch for sure. As are many others ... the end it telling us this is a real story ... feels unreal ... but am I surprised or would I be if most actually happened that way? Not really ... let the inner beast out ... no pun intended.