In the series of worries, everyday problems, continuous troubles, domestic accidents, all sorts of family troubles, in this ever-moving "hive" of snobbery, philistineism and philistineism, we completely forget about only one single, but perhaps the main, the only "true" component of our life - priceless.
Although George LaVoo’s The Year of the Dog tells and illustrates a classic and largely typical story about the relationship between an elderly owner and his restless dog, the plot of the film hides something deeper, continental, something more spiritual, intellectual and sublime than the usual arguments about the connection between animal and man.
The complex, almost academically transcendental relationship between the writer John Katz and his four-legged friend, the dog Devon, is the film’s main leitmotif, the complex spiritual intimacy, attachment, “kinship” between man and animal.
But in this film, such a metaphysical “draw” acquires a completely different, more cunning, complex, philosophical meaning.
Although this is the only directorial work of George LaVoo, it is worth paying tribute to the young director: he coped with the production brilliantly, without flaws. The fine line between a funny comedy and a slightly sad story about a man who found himself and inspiration only thanks to his pet makes you look at the screen almost inseparably, you do not even notice how only 80 minutes of screen time rush, elegantly light, airy and at the same time deep storytelling - that is the beauty of this canvas!
When viewing the picture, you can notice another interesting moment - a cozy, good-natured and affectionate old-fashioned film - although it was shot in 2009, but the feeling as if it was staged in the early 90s, or even the late 80s, so everything here is cozy, welcoming, warm and leaves on the heart some pleasant mark, some "old" atmosphere of modernity reigns in this film, it is not just delightful, it is pleasantly discouraging, fabulously surprising and causes an even greater surge of interest.
As for the amazing actor Jeff Bridges, I got a lot of pleasure from his role - lately I thought that an actor with such rich experience in cinema, almost a veteran, with such strong and memorable images from "The Mirror Has Two Faces", "The Fisher King", the first "Throne", "The Serrated Blade" began to spoil his amazing talent with films like "Ghost Patrol". But I was wrong! Here he holds the stamp, he is magnificent, his character is complex, and at the same time understandable. He is able to win over the viewer, attract his attention, play on his feelings, emotions. But at the same time, he does it with love and boundless respect for the viewer, there is no falsity, playfulness, babbling - he created a simple and at the same time complex role. I would like to thank him very much for that!
Amazing, kind, gentle and human film. Deep, clear, funny and at the same time sad, not cash and at the same time high-quality, not rating and at the same time interesting. In many ways, this film turned out to be even more saturated than the well-known and beloved “Hachiko”.
10 out of 10