«Dogman»: a dog's life in all its cinematic glory

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci

«Fuck off, you coward!»

Marcello, aka Marcè, washes, massages, cares for, feeds and walks the dogs entrusted to his care. His modest practice, the Dogman, is doing rather well, even if the Lazio suburbs where it's located rather suggest that we should think more about looking after human beings than dogs. Marcello also has a daughter, whom he adores. In short, the two loves of his life are his dogs and his daughter. And he still has a few good friends in the neighborhood, with whom he discusses everything and anything, and shares generous spaghettate on the terrace of the only restaurant in the area.

A certain Simone is also on the prowl. A pure-blooded brute. A colossus of violence with a humpbacked nose. He'll hit anything that moves when his nerves are frayed, and his nerves are always frayed. Yet there seems to be a certain affection between him and Marcello. What binds them together: cocaine. They buy it and share it. From time to time, they go out to meet girls. And if they feel like it - especially Simone - they organize a quick burglary. But this vicious circle can't go on, especially when Simone starts to get violent with the man he calls his friend, and pushes him to commit the irreparable.

Stylistic choices

The noise. The shock. A robust, aggressive dog growls and barks at Marcello as he bathes him. His mouth is filmed in close-up. Such is the opening scene of Dogman, directed by Italy's Matteo Garrone. It already heralds the film's stylistic choices. Indeed, the film is characterized above all by an almost constant, always unstable handheld camera. What's more, it adheres to the close-up approach, making it even more moving and confused. This even leads to some surprising, but no less successful, shots in which the characters, especially Simone the colossus, are filmed with part or all of their heads cut off. Marcello, too, is sometimes cut off at nose or mouth level, as if to show the character's diminishment as the ultimate whipping boy.

Still on the photographic side, there are color variations that truly follow and accompany the plot. Mostly in dark tones, the images convey the loneliness and sinister life the main protagonist leads in his office or apartment. They brighten up outside, but here it's the color of the set that counterbalances the sunlight to remind the film of the tragedy it is.

The beach is indeed sullen, and the neighborhood is reminiscent of war ruins. Sheet metal and broken stone are omnipresent. Buildings are painted pale red or pale green. The light does, however, hold a few moments of absolute glory, which are in no way offset. These are the moments when Marcello is in the presence of his daughter. The little girl, as passionate about dogs as her father, with her angelic eyes and light red hair, brings light wherever she is. Even in the practice, when she's helping Dad trim a dog's hair. Even in the apartment, which is always dark, where she brings the light with her computer to dream of heavenly vacation destinations.

Father and daughter

They dream of the Maldives, scuba diving lovers that they are. They don't spend much time together, but when she's with him, the joy fills him, to the point of changing him physically. When they're underwater, exploring the fish, the light pierces the dark blue of the depths, precisely because they're together. The relationship between Marcello and his daughter is reminiscent of that between Guido and his son Giosuè in Life is beautiful by Roberto Benigni. When the threats grow louder, or when the damage has already been done, Marcello, as Guido would have done, hides his wounds behind an ear-to-ear smile and sunglasses that cover as much of his face as possible.

The relationship between father and daughter is already an element of the film's psychological and social vein. It also raises the question of the manipulation of the weakest in society, and the social pressure that can go as far as banishment. Betrayal in friendship, fear that takes over everything. And violence: fists and blood that just won't stop. All these themes are dealt with in the film, both for their own sake and in the light of the cocaine problem. Another theme, which stands out from the others, is the relationship between dog and man.

Dogman doesn't dissertate on the subject, but rather presents in a light-hearted and enjoyable way the genuine friendship that can exist between dog and man. To avoid naivety, we should add that, in addition to the friendship - or almost motherhood - that Marcello experiences with his dogs, we show that dogs can save and love, just as they can destroy and kill. The opening scene gives this impression, even if, all in all, the film has been violent without ever including violence committed by an animal. Perhaps, in fact, the aggressive dog at the beginning is a metaphor for violence and the reversal that can take place in people. One thing's for sure, though: the film poses real questions and really gets the viewer thinking.

A poor guy

Marcello's character, as the main protagonist, brings together all the social problems and psychological complexity evoked. Marcello is an idiot. A loser. Even a clown. He's the kind of character who's always and forever doomed to lose. That's what makes him so endearing, sympathetic and moving. And Marcello has a body and a face, which he owes to the excellent actor Marcello Fonte. The actor fits the Marcello whose story is told because he's frail and small. As basic as this may seem, it's already a first criterion for confirming that Marcello Fonte was the right man for the job.

Most importantly, there's the actor's face. Without doubt, the face says more than the character's clothing or residential setting. Yes, Marcello has a loser's face. His face is tragic. His features bear the suffering of the world and its oppression. The comparison may seem far-fetched, but Marcello has an air of Jacques Brel singing These people or Pierre Bachelet, who plays Puppeteer. Both singers have something of the poor man in their faces. And that's what makes them so tragically beautiful, just like Marcello.

The resemblance to actor Adrien Brody, who plays the title character in The Pianist by Roman Polanski, is a thousand times more obvious. What's more, both characters undergo a physical degeneration that transforms them. For the Pianist, the alterations and wandering make it look more and more like a rat. Dogman, It's the slobber, the shaky breathing, the submission and the pride in the spoils that make him a dog.

Marcello Fonte won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, and deservedly so. In addition to his looks, there's something in his language, voice and way of speaking that makes him even more naive and innocent, and therefore an even more moving figure. Dogman is finally doing Italian cinema a world of good, showing that with the immense heritage of transalpine cinema - especially neo-realism - it's still possible and even necessary to make great cinema. Dogman, which showcases a dog's life in all its cinematic splendor, is without doubt a masterpiece.

«I've changed; now you have to respect me.»

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Xenix Films