No assembly RequireD

For anyone who is or has ever been a dog owner one of the biggest dreams is to be able to communicate with your pet. If not for just a day, to finally get to talk to your dog and figure out what is going on in that excited head of theirs. Most of the time we dog owners just want to know what the hell our dog is staring at or so fixated on. It has happened to every dog owner, you look over at your furry pet and they are just staring into the abyss, not a thought running through their mind. Or perhaps we are all wrong and they are seeing something we could never, something not from this world, something beyond. GOOD BOY directed by Ben Leonberg takes that simple premise, to answer the question, “what the hell is my dog staring at?” In doing so Leonberg and his insanely dedicated crew (more on that later) deliver an inspiring experimentation on the craft of film all while creating a terrifying but always adorable tale of one dog’s unconditional love for their owner in the face of some supernatural evil. GOOD BOY premiering in the midnight section of the South by South West Film Festival is the basis of what film festivals should be all about. Finding new voices that are so dedicated to expanding what film can do and literally making us see the world through new eyes. It is also just a miracle this film got made let alone be highly entertaining. A film from people who took on a nearly impossible task and stayed true to their initial idea of not just seeing a haunted house through a dog’s eyes but rather showing that no evil spirit can ever destroy a dog’s unconditional love.

Todd is very sick. In fact Todd may very well be dying. A man who spends his days in and out of the hospital while his dog Indy awaits for his return. Indy the dog is played by well Indy the dog. The real life dog of director Leonberg. In doing so the connection between this man and dog is instantly felt. Yes it certainly helps production when the dog is familiar and loves his scene partner, but even more there is nothing that can be faked from Indy and the love is nothing less than pure. Todd (Shane Jensen, as well as performed by Leonberg at times) needs to get away in hopes of surviving his illness. So he packs up his life and his lovable pooch and moves to his Grandfather’s (Larry Fessenden) old house out in the middle of nowhere country. Todd’s Grandpa suffered and died from an illness as well leaving behind a collection of old VHS horror movies that he has taped over leaving stories and messages of his final days alongside his own dog. There is the obvious feeling that something is very wrong with both the house and the entities that may surround it but what is a pup to do? His master feels satisfied and while Indy hesitates the protection of his owner comes first.

GOOD BOY may seem like a throwback to classic haunted house films of yesteryear where the scares come solely from the bumps in the night. In fact it is a welcomed return for the genre in a time where more metaphorical horror has to take hold of every nook and cranny. Yes the house and especially Todd’s grandfather embody pain that can be passed down both metaphorically and literally but for Indy all this means nothing, what matters most is that things do not seem right and there is a danger surrounding his owner. For horror movies it can be easy to talk about what worked and what did not in terms of scares but when it comes to GOOD BOY there needs to be an emphasis on both the respect for the genre as well as its main star. One of the rules of Hollywood is “never work with children or animals,” it only slows you down. But you cannot have GOOD BOY without the actual good boy and the film is a testament to its ability to respect the limitations put on the filmmakers. Indy is adorable there is no doubt about it and yes he is quite possibly the most photogenic dog in film history, but even more so there is a pure cinematic greatness that the entire team is able to pull off. The film was shot over 400 days and several years, but even more impressive was how the film is clearly devoted to working around the movements and mannerisms of Indy himself rather than training his every move. Yes impressive camera work is always at play, but Indy may be the first real actor this side of Daniel Day Lewis because nothing is being faked. Any dog owner can tell you that you can train your dog all its life but at the end of the day that dog is going to do what it wants from time to time. GOOD BOY greatly respects that (it helps that Indy’s two owners are both the director and producer Kari Fischer). But even more so is that while Indy the dog is never actually put in danger it doesn’t change the fact that the scenarios and screenplay (written by Alex Cannon and Leonberg) are truly terrifying. As Indy the dog and Indy the actor reacts to a ghoulish and quite muddy being there is always a constant state of dread as Indy cannot fully express himself to heed warning to his owner. Yes when Indy barks Todd is concerned but the script and performances feel completely natural in Todd’s patience of Indy being tested and Indy’s fears only heighten when he is being reprimand for simply trying to protect his owner. It fills the film with several heartbreaking moments while also allowing the audience to understand the frustration that comes from not being able to understand your dog’s needs as well as a dog’s pain of feeling useless when all it wants is to help and protect.

Anytime a POV film is done it can feel like a sense of a gimmick even if the film is quite well made. However the truly great ones learn how to avoid such trickery for tricks sake by giving you the feeling that while the setup may feel like a gimmick the story truly could only be told in this fashion. GOOD BOY isn’t destroyed without Indy, no that gives off a feeling that the film isn’t well made without him, but instead GOOD BOY is Indy through and through. Indy knowing most of the crew once again allows for a fully natural performance. There are stunts throughout and Indy is asked to do a lot but there is never a sense of pressure put on the performer once again reinforcing that idea that this truly is a miracle of a film. The ability to work fully around one cast member while also asking so much of its crew. The entire sound team deserves just as much praise for the work that went in during post production as well as a production team that makes us fully believe that Indy is every shot (occasional stunts were performed by a stuffed animal named stand in named Findy) as well making us believe when we stare into the abyss at a strange shadow or one of many horrifying dream sequenced occur that it is truly Indy experiencing them. In fact GOOD BOY may be the first dog surreal film when it comes to those nightmares involving another dog and a floating bandana. But even with all its cinematic trickery GOOD BOY stays true to its themes of love and protection no matter what.

GOOD BOY at barely 80 minutes throws a lot at you and it’s mostly one setting is both just a house and the embodiment of feeling useless. It can be seen as a world far beyond our own while also just being a heartbreaking story of a dog who believes his owner will get better. We’ve all seen the tearjerker videos of dogs sitting at their owners graves and while the people who watch those could be classified as masochists; GOOD BOY finds its way at a hopeful beginning where the memories of both human and dog will live on forever. In a stranger than fiction notion, Indy won’t be here forever, and hell neither will the filmmakers or this critic writing this sentence but GOOD BOY is actual evidence of not just a film but rather evidence that a dog’s love lasts far beyond this time and space, so maybe its time to give your dog that extra scoop of peanut butter or take them on that longer walk, because I can guarantee you they will love you regardless but we as humans need to always remind them that they are loved and that love is unconditional.

A

GOOD BOY PREMIERED AT THE SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST FILM FESTIVAL IN THE MIDNIGHT SECTION.