Perro Guardián

Perro Guardian was by far my favorite film at this year's Cinequest festival. The story is simple enough on the surface - dog, an ex- militia man who was spared from prison under an amnesty law now works as a killer-for-hire, having to deal with his demons, and a society in which he has no place. What sets this movie apart is the excellent direction and cinematography. Told exclusively form the perspective of dog, Bacha Caravedo weaves simple side stories into the narrative that happen mostly in the peripheral vision of the movie's main character (and thus the viewer), but providing a wealth of flavor and context - showing us a society that's as corrupted and dark as dog's soul. Dog is superbly portrayed by Carlos Alcantara (that guy is a stand- up comedian in real life ... really??). The Cinequest programmer described it as a 'modern day Latin American version of Taxi Driver', and I can't think of a better description. I'm really hoping that this movie will see a US release.