Forget the usual awards season buzz for a minute—Sean Penn and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can wait. The real performance we need to be talking about is by Indy the dog in the new film, Good Boy.
I’m giving this film a solid 3.5 out of 5 Stars, and I’ll be honest, the extra half-star is entirely because this Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is just that damn good.
Something Different
Alright so Good Boy is hands down one of the most unique films I have seen especially in the Horror/Thriller genre. This movie is told ENTIRELY from the dog’s point of view. Indy is Ben Leonberg the director’s own dog and the film showcases not just the unconditional human-dog relationship, dog ownership and training but also that “other sense” we all talk about our dogs having when they’re staring at an empty corner and picking up scents we can’t physically see or hear. Well this movie basically leans into that aspect.
I was immediately entranced by the way the film just kept showing me the world through Indy’s eyes. There is almost no dialogue in this film so you pretty much just have to hop in the driver’s seat and go for the ride with the camera. For a cinematic film fan like me this is just so damn interesting to watch. The whole thing is an artful experiment in visuals alone. The cinematography is clever as heck, there is no wide-angle shots of the surroundings where Todd is, you literally don’t even see Todd’s face fully until about halfway through the film because of the camera placement.
Thriller and Horror
Don’t let the horror label fool you because this is more a really damn good super thriller in my opinion there are some really good jump moments in there. This movie is DARK, like go watch it in a dark room or you are gonna have a hard time seeing Indy out of some of those dark corners. Fair warning.
Full disclosure as someone who does not watch horror I got a little confused in the weeds of the plot a couple of times but I get it I am also the person that fell asleep during The Conjuring so much of the horror fanatics language goes right over my head I’m sure there is a lot I’ll gloss over here that people love and will pick apart for Easter Eggs in the plot but I am here for it!
I do think it is a really interesting fresh take on a film like this. There were points I was literally squirming in my seat at some of the more grizzly scenes they put this dog through but Indy just is so natural and so emotive with his performance you just have to keep watching.
Synopsis:
Indy the loyal retriever moves to an abandoned family home with his owner Todd in the middle of nowhere, but Indy senses an evil force from the start that Todd cannot. Todd begins to fall ill with mysterious ailments and his behavior becomes aggressive as a malevolent presence manipulates him. Indy the retriever must fight this evil to save his human best friend.
Cast:
- Indy (as Indy)
- Shane Jensen (as Todd)
- Arielle Friedman
- Larry Fessenden
Overall Good Boy is a very solid original film that I enjoyed. 3.5 out of 5
