In filmmaker Daniel Brener’s Son of a Dog, bad increasing turns to worse when Alex (Alex Brener) comes to the rescue of the dog his neighbor is physically abusing. When the neighbor turns his assault to Alex instead, a tragic accident occurs and Alex finds himself in the dire need to dispose of the body before anyone else sees. Of course, it’s never that simple.
You could consider Son of a Dog a dark comedy, if it ever decided to be funny (though you know pretty fast where it’s going to go, so there is a humor in that), but it goes with dark and stays there. More of a case of “really, can it get any worse for this good samaritan,” when we know it will, the film eschews madcap absurdity and gives us atmospheric thriller/horror familiarity instead. For example, in most movies where a body needs to be disposed of quickly, and a chainsaw or other large cutting utensil is available, what usually happens?
Despite it’s simplicity, and at about 6 minutes one wouldn’t expect it to get too complicated, the film handles the tragedy well and delivers a moody, beautiful experience. Beauty as far as the look of the film, that is. If you find bloody chainsaws beautiful, then there’s that too, but I was definitely focusing on the composition and overall aesthetic.
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