Good Boy

Um... what did I just watch? No, seriously-what did I just watch? I had a feeling this was going to be a weird ride just from reading the summary-a man keeping another man as a pet dog while trying to start a relationship-but somehow, it was even more bizarre than I expected.

This is a tough one to rate because, on the one hand, the acting was great, and the film itself was really well made. But on the other hand... the story was just so unsettling. I feel genuinely uncomfortable after watching it, and that's only happened to me once before-with Tusk. And now that I think about it, aside from the body mutilation in Tusk, the core concept is kind of similar-forcing someone to become an animal to satisfy some twisted fetish.

That said, I'll give this movie a six because, despite how disturbing it was, it was definitely unique and not something I'll be forgetting anytime soon. Oh, and one last thing-Ingrid was an absolute idiot. That is all.

This is a lean, taut suspense film--only 80 minutes long, and more than half of that is truly suspenseful and unnerving. There are only four actors in the movie, and they all do an excellent job of seeming like real people with real motivations, blind spots, and flaws. For the most part, writer/director Viljar Bøe does an excellent job of showing us things that don't quite make sense and convincing us that it's not necessarily irrational or unreasonable. He creates a feeling akin to being seduced into a toxic relationship, where in hindsight you realize how abundant all the red flags were but in the moment you're willing to rationalize and excuse every individual one. If this is allegorical horror, then its allegory is for the poor "NTA" victims on the Reddit thread "Am I The A**H***?", who post detailed narratives of having been gaslit by psychopaths yet seem totally clueless about the blame not being their own.

That said, once the mystery is revealed about midway through the movie, the movie does lose a great deal of its suspense as characters quickly devolve into horror movie stereotypes. While the second half is disappointing, it's not so bad that it brings the whole film down--plus, the final moments are fresh and surprising enough that they'll guarantee the film's haunting images will stick with you for a few days. On top of that, Bøe's writing wisely leaves a lot of backstory unsaid, leaving audiences with plenty of queasy questions that they won't want to think about the answers to. A lesser film would feel the need to tidy things up more.

I'd recommend this for anyone who's into disturbing thrillers. The strong acting, masterful editing, and original premise are enough to earn a solid recommendation, even if the final act doesn't fully live up to the movie's promised potential. I eagerly anticipate Bøe's next film.

The film "Good Boy" is notable for its incredibly unusual and impactful premise, where a man behaves like a dog, creating a bizarre and unintentionally comical experience in certain scenes. While it may be slow for some viewers, the film's pace gradually becomes darker and more engaging. It offers an interesting critique of dating and modern relationships, delving into psychological analysis of love obsessions and power dynamics. However, it suffers from inconsistent writing, with the protagonist making implausible decisions, and it missed the opportunity to deliver a more impactful and disturbing narrative.

I tend to not do spoilers, so I won't spoil. Within 5 minutes, I was absolutely captivated. It's rare to watch a movie that I picked at random and say to myself "WTF?.... Oh, yes!".

Now, that may suggest there is something wrong with me, I'm not sure - but all I can say is that Good Boy is a rare find. It's truly original, not necessarily in a good way, but original.

This is not only a sick film, twisted in so many ways, but the acting, direction, plot twists, and well - the whole thing is something to be enjoyed. Excellent production quality and the scenery is quite lovely from an American's view.

All I can say is that I think you will come away loving your dog even more - although I'm not sure that has anything to do with anything.

I have to admit, the premise instantly piqued my interest, but unique premises in horror aren't really that hard to come by. Even with being the most ridiculed film genre, you'll be hard pressed to find more interesting stories than those found in horror, and this one is no exception. But at one hour and 12 minutes, it's really unfortunate that the potential of the premise wasn't fully realized, although the end result was more than satisfactory.

We have a tale about a girl who meets a man on a dating app, and that man happens to have a pet dog who is a man in a suit. Everything seems pretty "normal" for most of the movie (or as normal as anyone with a pet human dog can be), until things take a turn and everything is flipped upside down. But why is it happening? Why is Frank a dog to begin with? So many unanswered questions, that an hour and some change did not give adequate time to have answered. As such, I was really going to write this movie off as wasted potential, until that ending.....

I've seen some creepy stuff in horror, but that ending sent a shiver down my spine. The films entire runtime was banking on that ending, and for that alone, it went from a forgettable film to a (dare I say) great one that people will be talking about for quite some time. There is no gore, very little violence, and no nudity, but the creepiness scale stays at a 10 throughout almost the entire film, and for that, it deserves at least a watch. True horror fans will surely appreciate it.