A movie like Good Boy asks you to put yourself in the mind of a dog. And that might be why so many people haven’t and won’t like the movie.
The buzz around the movie is that it’s told from the perspective of Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. When the movie begins, Indy is just resting in an apartment with his human Todd (Shane Jensen) who is having some type of medical issue. The phone is ringing and Todd is dripping blood from his mouth in a lethargic state.
Indy senses something ominous in the corner of the room as Todd’s sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman), bursts in and calls 911. A montage of footage shows Indy from a puppy and his time with Todd. Then there is time Indy is without Todd who is in the hospital for an undisclosed time. It’s pretty obvious that Todd has a serious illness, i.e. cancer, and his behavior seems to be the type of a man who knows he’s living on borrowed time.
But rather than draw up a bucket list, Todd takes Indy and moves from the city to the rural area where their grandfather once lived before he died. Indy obviously notices something is off as they settle into the house. This is where the movie might lose some of its audience because there is an ominous darkness lurking around Todd and Indy.
Yet only Indy senses it. Or shall I write that Indy senses it the only way he knows how. Remember, this is through the perspective of a dog. The few humans in the cast are often filmed from out of focus, from their heads down or in the background. We rarely see their faces but hear their voices the way Indy does. So when a neighbor, Richard (Stuart Rudin), shows up decked out in hunting camoflage from head to toe, it might look terrifying to a dog who has never seen this before.
Also, Indy whimpers and cries when Todd leaves him for a medical appointment that lasts most of the day as he sits looking out the window. We fear what we don’t know and can’t explain. The love and bond of a dog is something special. Therefore, when a dog thinks his human isn’t going to come back, they will cry like a child.
On the phone with Vera, Todd talks about how Indy won’t leave his sight even when he goes to the bathroom. A lot of cats and dogs do this. I had a tabby cat, Pookie, who would sit on the floor and watch me every morning as I ate breakfast getting ready for work. And he would sit on the back of the couch facing the front door when I would often get home from work.
It’s also been reported that animals will become very clingy to a person if they feel something bad is about to happen either to the person or the animal itself. And not to give too much away, Indy does survive the movie, which runs only about 73 minutes, but still is a little long even for the plot.
I know some people may not like this movie because it doesn’t present itself as an old-fashioned scary ghost movie. But I think it’s about something more. Horror and thriller movies work on the concept that most people can relate to as having their loved ones in danger and being unable to help them.
I feel a lot of people who have watched this movie and will watch it will get upset as the twist is more of an “Oh, I see” moment, rather than a big huge revelation. It’s not a cheat because all the clues have been dropped.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 