Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: DOGMAN (Secret Screening #3) [Fantastic Fest 2023 - Austin, Texas]
The essence of a secret screening is to try to create an anticipation and for Fantastic Fest, that is also providing certain essence of those films with filmmakers or abilities to stir curiousity. Director Luc Besson's "Dogman" was selected as the Secret Screening #3 after recently making its premiere at Venice. It is slightly different in many ways to other elements of Besson's repetoire. The subject matter is unusual but again reflects back to earlier work and getting back to basics. "Le Femme Nikita" had many of these elements but in creating bigger studio works it can get trickier. After making "Valerian" (which is more and more fun with each repeat viewing), one understands. Having talked to Besson for many of his films, one of the ones that comes to mind is "The Lady" in which he directed Michelle Yeoh as the martyred leader of the former Burma. Inside Reel spoke to both of them at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar for this. It was about humanity for that (but without a genre bent). Here it is about humanity but integrated into a higher concept with dirtier morals. It is interesting to see the concept of subject and how for Besson, in smaller films, he is able to show the inherent sadness while still surrounding the film with genre elements.
"Dogman" is not quite what one thinks and will be tricky to market (it is still seeking a distributor) but the real backbone is in Caleb Landry Jones as Douglas (better known as the Dogman). The reflection of empathy might be necessary and basic but the character build is not. This is an extremely complicated characters with a variety of vices, morality, trauma, love, hate and regret but most of the time, almost never malice. Trying to explain the different facets of identity will no doubt speak to many audiences but every step that the character makes is earned but also subjugated. However there is a lucid vision that Jones has of Douglas. One sees glimmers of Heath Ledger as The Joker but also of Mia Goth in "X" but with more reticence. The surrounding elements of the dogs and the way they function is also quite phenomenal considering the concept Besson was working with. It is not an easy film to make (in many ways more difficult than a sci-fi film like "Lucy"). But that concept and how it builds always stays like a steady tone in the background while Jones as Douglas himself paints the performance in notes so you never truly hate or love him but you are sympathetic to his intelligence, his faults and also his mistakes. His trauma and sacrifice feel earned because his life is not easy though there is never the intent to forgive. He is a consequence of his life, whether he wanted it or not, mired in the essence and also love of Shakespeare, forever crying in that path that he eventually finds himself on. Jones, with the guidance of Besson, makes one feel that, irregardless of the basic concept of a man and his dogs. B+
By Tim Wassberg
