Luc Besson marks his return to directing with a humanist and canine film

Animals are recurrent in Luc Besson’s filmography. In Dogman, its main character identifies with the dogs he raises by the dozens. The film, which comes out Wednesday, September 27, rests on the shoulders of Caleb Landry Jones (already seen in Nitram), interpreter of Douglas, remarkable in a risky role.

A “Freaks”-style curiosity

Douglas, a child abused by his father, takes refuge in the love of dogs, even adopting their way of life.

We cannot deny the originality of the subject and the scenario concocted as usual by Luc Besson. He elegantly and soberly films an anonymous America, the setting for the action, inhabited by colorful or mediocre characters. From this grayness crossed by neon lights emerges the light of one of those left behind, beaten all his childhood, experiencing failure after failure, whose only emotional return comes from the dogs. The communication he establishes with them in an extraordinary way borders on the fantastic, and makes Dogman a curiosity including Tod Browning (director of the legendary Freaks) would not deny the subject.

The wide range of interpretation of Caleb Landry Jones

The character of Douglas is carried by the admirable interpretation of Caleb Landry Jones, who plays a range ranging from naivety to his animal identification, including his cross-dressing. With a constant juvenility as a common thread. The contemporary themes of the animal cause and identity against a thriller background stick to Luc Besson. He also frees himself from a flashy staging by playing with sobriety, even if his mafia gang is very folkloric and excesses surface.

Douglas is a very charged character and his ins and outs are not nuanced. But Luc Besson found a real subject, and develops it with dramaturgy, to the end, which is not so common. Ignoring all realism, the director films a tale. Its dynamic but more discreet than usual staging reflects an effort at writing, except at the end, damaging and overly proselytizing, the only false note in a good film.

The sheet

Gender : Drama
Director : Luc Besson
Actors: Caleb Landry Jones, Jojo T. Gibbs, Marisa Berenson, Lincoln Powell, Christopher Denham, Iris Bry
Country : France / United States
Duration : 1h54
Exit : September 27, 2023
Distributer : EuropaCorp Distribution / Appolo Films

Warning: scenes, comments or images may offend the sensitivity of viewers.

Synopsis: The incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who will find his salvation thanks to the love his dogs have for him.