imperfection is perfection
Sporadic film reviews by a wanna-be filmmaker
DOGMAN [2018]
In a small, run-down Italian village, dog lover and groomer Marcello (Marcello Fonte) owns a business named Dogman, where he tends to various breeds big and small. Living behind his workspace, he supports his struggling business by discreetly selling cocaine. This side business inevitably lands him in the presence of unsavoury characters, chiefly the much bigger Simone (Edoardo Pesce) who is a constant irritant to the village, prompting Marcello to deceive his friends as to why he associates with Simone at all.
Also playing a part in Marcello’s monetary equation is his young daughter, who he is determined to impress with trips away. Sharing custody with his ex, he obviously wants his daughter to go back home with impressive tales to tell about what Daddy did for her. His ex barely acknowledges his existence when she drops their daughter off, but the reason for this remains an open question. Regardless of what caused the riff in the relationship, director Matteo Garrone makes it clear that Marcello has gotten the rough end of the stick from a custody standpoint.
The decision by Garrone to name Marcello’s store ‘Dogman’ is a clear reference to his character. Much like man’s best friend, Marcello epitomises the ‘too nice for his own good’ type of man who simply wants to please and be liked by everyone in the small village, stating as much during the film.
Far from the most intelligent fellow, and with a near-permanent smile on his face, the meek Marcello doesn’t realise the potential risks that are coupled with dealing cocaine. Not to mention the effect of the drug itself on people like Simone, whose unhinged behaviour becomes increasingly problematic.
Also lost on Marcello is that the longer he deals, the chances of him becoming associated with people similar to Simone increases. The consequence of Marcello’s ignorance is that he is presented with situations that jeopardise what he values most about living in the small community.
Interestingly, three identical long shots of the village are evenly spread throughout the film and each time the area remains unchanged. The identical shots again relate to Marcello’s character who, despite being treated like a dog himself by Simone, never changes his attitude. He bows to nearly every wish of Simone, as not only does he want to keep Simone’s money rolling in, he wants to remain on Simone’s good side given his unpredictable behaviour. Not only this, despite Simone’s treatment of him, Marcello still wants Simone’s respect and to consider him a friend.
Dogman is an incredibly realistic character study that transcends culture and language barriers. It is a study of a man who is too kind for his own safety, a man with a simple wish that proves to be difficult. The intensity picks up for the final act, steadily increasing towards the unpredictable final moments that are incredibly telling without any dialogue. Ultimately, Dogman is unique film about an unfortunate but all-too-common character trait that most viewers can relate to in their own way.
14 Comments on “DOGMAN [2018]”
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imperfection is perfection 
Wow, this sounds really cool.
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go for it, its online. I identified with it a lot cos I’m too nice for my own good myself. One of the best Italian flicks I have seen in some time
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I just watched this last night and came out looking for reviews. Too nice for his own good is right. This is a complex character study. The ending was really out there but perfect.
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very much so! Thanks for your comment, now I feel compelled to watch it again. But god that Simone guy was such a prick!! Ugh I couldn’t stand him!
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You’re welcome. Yes he was! He shoulda been strung up long before that!
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indeed! He was a pain in the butt from the first time he was on screen!!!
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Yep. I didn’t understand why, when the guy told him to go somewhere else to do his coke because his daughter was there and he blatantly ignored him, he didn’t take action. That monster trampled everyone’s boundaries and worse!
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For sure. And that again goes back to him being too nice for his own good, helping Simone cos either they are old friends, or he is scared of him. Either way, both of them are incredibly built characters, who we really get get to know.
I think this film deserves a foreign film nomination, along with Parasite. Parasite will win as its so damned good, but hopefully another foreign flick will come from nowhere. ‘Birds of Passage’ is one is one I really wanna see, I think that may be a contender as well. A White White Day from Iceland I think is also in the mix I think. \
There really has been so many good films this year!
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:::making a list here::: Haven’t seen any of those yet! Were you the person who told me about Maudie? I watched it last week and adored it!
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Maudie? No, that wasn’t me. =(
The first two of those movies have been online for a while now, Parasite is just soooo funny, you gotta see it!the Icelandic one hasn’t though. I was lucky to catch it at a Scandinavian film fest.
Sunset is another one to keep an eye out for, its the same director (and DOP) as his first flick Son of Saul. I enjoyed it but must watch it again.
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Thanks for the recommendations, Jordan!
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Hope you are able to see them, and enjjoy them!!
Another one is older but technically was released this year to the public – Ash is Purest White. Chinese film by the guy who did Touch of Sin a few years ago – that one is almost well worth a watch too =]
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Likewise, I couldn’t figure out the friend or scared aspect. If they’ve lived in this small town all of their lives, they have probably known each other since they were children. Maybe Simone used to protect him as a kid from bullies? Or maybe something more sinister? One of the great things about the movie is it leaves you guessing 🙂
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Interesting theories, I think you’re right, the small town aspect plays a part in it. It really does give you a lot to chat about after its finished, I must watch it again
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