Dog

A young boy living in a cold , damp dark house with his father . His father tells the boy that his mother suffering a long illness has died . Left alone in the grieving process he realises his only friend his dog might be about to suffer the same fate

I quite admire Claymation and everyone involved in the process because it's obviously a painstaking and frustrating effort to bring the technique to screen and to coin a terribly overused cliché it's all a labour of love . This effort entitled DOG by Suzie Templeton is even better than the very high standard we've been treated to and the puppets are so detailed you'll instantly be reminded of the ones in Gerry Anderson shows like JOE 90 but there's one other thing that sets it apart from others in the field and that is while most Claymation shorts have a happy and humorous feel this one is definite bleak house material and tries to drown the audience in gloom and despair

There might be a subtext here involving cultures relationship to dogs . You can put a dog down but not a human hence a dog in many ways is more loved and more important in many ways than a person . I do remember one time at work one time a colleague got the sad news that his dog had died and had to get sent home such was his heartbreak at this sad news . My boss who was Indian came in later and mentioned what he'd heard except that he got it in to his head that workmate's dad had died and I had to explain that in Britain when it comes to dogs we tend to view them in much the same way as Hindus view cows as being more important than humans . Despite all this my sympathies with DOG - as in real life - lie totally with bipeds called homo sapiens rather than four legged mammals . Regardless of Ms Templeton's agenda of manipulating the audience in feeling sorry for the dog or the boy she perhaps succeeds too well in depressing this audience member

A young boy and his father live in a dull, lonely house with the shadow of mourning hanging over them both. The boy misses his mother but gets no comfort from his father's ascertains that she went peacefully. This tragedy is added to by the family dog which is looking increasingly unhealthy.

The challenge of a short in some cases is to try and get a lot across enough story in a short time to make the film work in some way. That is the case here - the film is very short and has a lot of back story to tell us, indeed the back story IS the story. The background is delivered so well it's amazing. The final punch is the least subtle but up till then it's sublime. Little details, little expressions, little movements tell so much about the inner feelings. Even if it's pretty depressing it's still worth watching for the skill.

Did I mention these are not people but steel framed puppets? Puppets with fixed expressions? Yet they still manage to emote so very much and fill us in on the story. The only character I didn't like was the dog itself as I felt that it was made to look too desperate, to much at the end of the road! Though that may have been the point.

Overall this short and (bitter) sweet. It's not cheerful and is the exact opposite but the level of detail that is brought out through minor things should be seen to be appreciated - I've seen plenty of actors who could take a lot from this short.

When you see the film, you can't help but notice the amazing stop-motion puppets that were used to make DOG. They looked very realistic but also rather creepy because they were so realistic. This is heightened by the ultra-realistic and bleak story.

The film begins with a boy and his father mourning the loss of the mother. While it's never overtly said, it becomes evident later that the father is not only mourning but has Agoraphobia--the paralyzing fear of leaving his home for any reason. The little boy seems depressed. Later, the family dog appears to be dying outside and the father is almost helpless--only grabbing the dog by stretching from the door frame--keeping at least part of his body in the house due to his fear. The dog is obviously sick and probably dying, but because the man cannot let himself leave the home to get help for the animal, he kills it with his bare hands. At that moment, he looks up to see that his son probably witnessed this!! This is truly awful!

Overall, great animations and a horrific and disturbing story I hope never to see again.

I admitt, I was totally seduced by boy. In essence he is the hero of this short film about loss of mother, deep loneliness, terrible poverty, a father preocuped by survive and a dog to the end of its life.

The room, the black stains on wall, the cry of boy about dog state, the extreme measure, for compassion of man, all are pieces defining the univers of little boy , in so intense manner than you plenty feel it.

The significant detail - his face and the temptation to ignore than he is a clay puppet and the stop motion is the key of film.

In short, in my case, an experience, beginning from the discover of the poster of short animation.

So, profound grateful to Suzie Templeton.