In the trailer for Hangdog, the latest indie gem to hit the scene, Desmin Borges (Only Murders in the Building, You’re the Worst) takes center stage as Walt—a man who’s not just out of place in Portland, Maine, but seemingly out of place in his own life. Walt has uprooted himself to this seaside town with his girlfriend Wendy (Kelly O’Sullivan, Saint Frances), but the move leaves him spiraling. Now jobless and floundering, he’s facing the ultimate competition for Wendy’s love—her dog, Tony.
Just as Walt hits peak anxiety, Wendy leaves for a career-defining business trip, leaving him with one all-important task: keep Tony safe. But Walt being Walt, things go south, and Tony gets snatched, setting off a hilarious and heartwarming manhunt across Portland. Walt’s desperate attempt to find the dog before Wendy returns has him crossing paths with eccentric locals, like the sassy Marianne (Barbara Rosenblat, Orange is the New Black) and Brent (Steve Coulter, Oppenheimer), a widower dealing with his own emotional baggage.
Hangdog is the debut narrative feature from husband-and-wife duo Matt Cascella (Director and Editor) and Jen Cordery (Writer), and it promises to be one of those offbeat, feel-good films that indie lovers crave. Critics are already talking up its charm, with Richard Propes calling it a film that “captures the little moments, human connections made and re-established,” while Letterboxd reviewers are hailing it as “highly delightful.” It’s shaping up to be the kind of movie that sneakily gets under your skin in the best way; as MIFF Programming Director Ken Eisen notes, it’s “charming, original, and sweet in its own deliberately shaggy way.”
Keep your eyes peeled for Hangdog—this indie flick’ll leave you laughing, feeling, and maybe even hugging your dog a little tighter.
