You may want to stop reading the review at this point unless you are a filmmaker or if you one day want to be a filmmaker. Reason being is because the following discussion doesn’t pertain to civilians, and it will also bum you the f**k out. You have been warned. Today’s lesson is never ever include a puppy being put to death in your film, even if it is part of a documentary. Obviously, not onscreen, which doesn’t happen here, but also do not include incidents mentioned in interviews. I know it seemed very appropriate as a metaphor for dreams dashed, but it wasn’t worth the damage caused by putting it in. This is material that is poisonous to your production, as the secondary trauma from a puppy slaying will fatally pull focus from the points you are trying to make. I was so inspired by most of this documentary, but I still spent the day after viewing it with a head full of dead puppies that weren’t there before.
“…If you feel you must, go ahead, but it will all end in tears…”
You are also misusing your responsibility as a documentarian in that you are painting a target on the guilty subject that they will carry for the rest of their lives. It isn’t fair that someone foolish enough to speak about such things in front of a camera will be defined forever by that poorly made decision. For the rest of their days, they will be hounded relentlessly by people who rightfully ask why the biting puppy wasn’t given up for adoption or better trained instead of slain at home. It will also keep people from re-watching your movie, as they just don’t want to go through that again. If you feel you must go ahead, it will all end in tears. Weed & Wine is an excellent documentary that is a) a fine vintage that is slightly marred by the floating cork that is really a dead puppy or b) a killer strain that doesn’t hit right due to seeds and stems that are really the remains of a dead puppy. You will be enlightened, but you will need to empty a bottle or a bag afterward.
"…has insights that will shake you to the core"
