15/20
Narrative
After being released from prison, Lang returns to his hometown in northwest China
As a dog patrolman tasked with cleaning up stray dogs before the 2008 olympics, a member, he attaches himself to the homeless black man.
Two lonely souls embark on a new journey together
Eddie Peng [the director] developed such a strong bond with Xin, the dog in the film, that he adopted him after filming.
A beautiful, slow-burning and memorable tale of the bleak setting of rural China with strong performances, direction, writing and structure
Filmmaker Guan Hu’s exploration of the human-dog relationship from a Chinese perspective, filled with stunning camerawork, sound design and interesting narrative choices, brings out the characters’ realism, engagement and exploration in nature.
the dialogue, sober approach, art-house rhythm and style really bring the story to a whole new light
The performances from Eddie Peng and the rest of the cast are great and there are plenty of characters, and some of the characters could have been explored a little better.
Having won the Un Certain Regard prize, I can see why
I appreciate a film about dogs, humanism and society in an unbiased exploration and creating something unique.