As JM was putting this movie into the dvd player, he turned to me and said "this is about a dog that gets lost." I looked at him suspiciously--he knows I couldn't watch that movie amores perros past the opening scene because of dog-on-dog violence or some such. so i said "does it get found?" I really, really wanted to watch a movie, and this was the only one we have on hand, so I asked hopefully, "does the dog have lots of adventures?"
So we started Wendy and Lucy with one whippet splayed over my stomach and the other hogging one side of the couch, both with their shiny green PA tags (yes, we registered our dogs before our car, so what?). I won't give anything away about what happens, but this is a very good movie. Sucks all the life out of the romance of living in one's car on a cross-country trip, but maybe I only have that romantic view because I've never done it. It's probably pretty hard to render loneliness cinematically, but the filmmakers and the actress (Michelle Williams) do a pretty smashing job.
I haven't watched this movie because I can't watch movies in which dogs get hurt or people lose them permanently. May I watch this movie?
Posted by: oratoricalanimal | 12 June 2009 at 10:33 AM
it's a bit of a gray area, oa, but i am the same as you (my first dark thoughts came when i watched old yeller in fourth grade), and i am glad i watched this movie.
Posted by: dhawhee | 12 June 2009 at 11:42 AM
I just watched this movie, as well. I enjoyed the interview with the director on Fresh Air and thought the review in the NY Times was insightful, too. I cried, as I did with Old Yeller and even Lassie as a little girl. (Couldn't watch Perros, either!) Anyway, the themes of loyalty and responsibility had me thinking while I watched it.
Posted by: Heather Adams | 12 June 2009 at 12:14 PM