Unlike the trailer below, THE DOG film short, running time a few seconds over 12 minutes, written, directed and produced by Australian filmmaker Danielle Baynes, contains scenes and themes relating to mental illness and suicide, which may be disturbing for some viewers. Viewer discretion advised.
Viewers should know that THE DOG falls short of a WORD must-see rating … but can be easily rated as a why-not-see-it. The acting, overall, is good to very good. And that’s it for kind words, descriptions. Because this reviewer had issues regarding what the film is about … what follows below should be considered important reading.
I was led to believe that the trailer above was a novel, synoptic pitch for THE DOG and that got my imagination spinning: A sick dog mysteriously appears in the clinic of an overworked vet and tries to negotiate about how they should die. Over the course of one night at a 24-hour clinic, struggling veterinarian Claire (Kate Walsh formerly of Grey’s Anatomy TV series) contends with the pressures of her shift and a persistent inner turmoil. That’s what the publicity said and that grabbed my imagination.
This reviewer was told that this scene shows an ailing dog looking to have a conversation with a veterinarian about death. A talking dog? Uh oh and wow! It turns out that this may or may not be a dream sequence. The blurred shadow of the veterinarian partially seen at the far right.
I was led to believe that THE DOG had elements of a ghost story, especially for adults; that the filmmaker had an ailing dog showing up at a veterinarian clinic and the animal trying to have a conversation to negotiate – speaking its mind, mind you – with a veterinarian about “their ” death. Seemed a bit disharmonic and convoluted, but I was primed and ready and tried to keep my mind’s eye opened. In the quest to find good horror movies lately, sans the usual gunk seen on Tubi and other platforms like it, I burnt out, somewhat, because too many three- ***and four-star **** horror flicks were horribly 🤣 over overrated.
There is, early on in opening of THE DOG, this poignant, tear jerking scene in the clinic shows a father and daughter agonizing over a dying pet dog about to get the needle; pentobarbital is the usual euthanasia. And this reviewer got teary eyed, recalling all the pets he outlived over the years (recalling especially overrated, obnoxious vets in Jersey City and Bayonne). And so on … and so forth.
Came the discovery: THE DOG theme and images have nothing to do with horror, sub-horror genres an the like. Nevertheless, I was cool, not particularly miffed that, as it turned out, there’s no s&s – surrealism, supernaturalism. No ghostly dog. No magic. And so on … and so forth. Over the course of one night at a 24-hour clinic, struggling veterinarian Claire (played by Kate Walsh who played Dr. Addison Montgomery in TV series, Grey’s Anatomy) contends with the pressures of her shift and a persistent inner turmoil.
An overworked veterinarian is having an especially difficult, emotional night in the new, live-action, short film THE DOG. Clair, played by actress Kate Walsh — known for her role as a human medicine provider on the Grey’s Anatomy long-running series and its’ spinoff, The Practice. Claire, the veterinarian, struggles with a power outage, personal demons, and an ethical dilemma while caring for a sick dog that arrives in the 24-hour clinic.
So, what is the 12-minute THE DOG about? Straight, so to speak, from the horse’s mouth: THE DOG is written, directed and produced by Australian filmmaker Danielle Baynes, who said in a director’s type statement that she had set out to develop a story about loss, facing death and how humans handle these emotional events. Her 12-minute film aims to provide a look at the practice demands and mental health challenges, including the emotional toll of responsibilities, faced by many veterinary professionals.
“While developing the script, I asked a veterinarian friend about the experience of shepherding so many people through this deeply emotional moment. They introduced me to staggering statistics that shifted my whole perspective on the story that I wanted to tell inside that vet clinic,” Baynes said in the statement.
{Click here for more Baynes’ insight and information – and get the drift.}
Editor, Publisher Gregg W. Morris
Gregg Morris can be reached at gregghc@comcast.net; profgreggwmorris@gmail.com