A dog will do anything to protect its sick owner from supernatural forces when they move into a rural, haunted house.
Unique perspective, great camera work and editing, and an amazing lead actor. So, one at a time… In 2017, David Lowery wrote and directed A Ghost Story (2017): https://kaygazpro.com/a-ghost-story-2017-drama-fantasy-romance/, where a ghost exists through time and space, observing humans live their drama. Last year, Steven Sonderberg offered us Presence (2024): https://kaygazpro.com/presence-2024/, which showcases the ghost’s point of view and its efforts to intervene and alter the course of events. Original and effective in its own way, but not necessarily scary.
This year, it is Indy the dog that takes the torch with Good Boy. According to IMDb, the co-writer, editor, producer, and director Ben Leonberg took three years to finish the film because “well, it’s a dog actor.” Oh, it’s his dog, by the way. The film’s uniqueness does not stop there, though. Leonberg does something that raises eyebrows and warrants examination: he cuts, hides, or obscures human faces. Why do you think that is? Don’t let it go unnoticed.
There are some beautiful/haunting/eerie shots in the film that cut from the action to Indy’s reactions. And while actions and reactions are shot separately and have nothing to do with one another, the editing defies that temporal and spatial difference, creating this amazing yet also terrifying illusion: That Indy reacts the way he does to the lurking supernatural forces. Also, Leonberg’s editing creates some dreamy/trippy sequences that will pin you down. They unite the past and the future, projecting to Indy — and, consequently, to the audience — what happened in this house and how that affects the present.
There are some sub-plot and story-depth issues, but they won’t affect your perception of the film. Huge congratulations to Leonberg for making Good Boy, and enormous respect and love to Indy — and every Indy out there — for being in our lives.
Thanks for reading!
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives that suffer the atrocities of war!
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