DogMan

Unchaining DogMan: The Wild Story of Conquest, Defiance, and Dogs by Luc Besson

There is a blinkered manner in which one should see DogMan by Luc Besson, the French presenter. To be ready for the deluge with a wild wear and not even attempt to anticipate what might come next. The Fifth Element, or the deeply mesmerizing but quite chilling Lucy are both Besson’s creations and then you know what sort of a thrill you’re in for. There is a reason why it’s referred to the off beat universe that it is. It captures delinquent, outlandish, and sentimental all at the same time, perfectly. The central point is to grasp the wacky story from the first which isn’t a challenge once the viewer is in the right ‘headspace’ and the trip is very much rewarding.

An audacious portrayal: Caleb Landry Jones

At the heart of DogMan is Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class, Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) in a role that defines audacity. Caleb Landry Jones portrays Douglas Munrow, the protagonist who is tortured and dug deeper into isolation for a prolonged period of time but emerges from the wreck not as a shattered creature but an entirely new identity. The zeal with which Jones plays Douglas, ranging from a fragile and charming character to a dangerous one, is remarkable. It’s the sort of role that either requires one to be at the brink of thier sanity or sheer genius and as a spoiler, it’s a mix of both.

Although it is not exactly a part of the traditional award categories, Jones’ performance in this film is award-winning nonetheless. If Emma Stone can win an Oscar for the enthusiasm shown within La La Then there is definitely scope here to reward such a raw and revealing performance as this one.

A Survivor’s Story: The Journey of Douglas

The plot progresses through a series of flashbacks, the first of which features him being interrogated by the calm but very inquisitive Evlin (JoJo T. Gibbs, subdued but magnetic) and she put to him. Her steady questions seek to reveal Douglas’ history, starting with a young child that had experienced unimaginable abuse, and exploring the aids that led to his recovery, including her antics.

For many years, Douglas was brought up under the tyrannical reign of a father (Clemens Schick) who caged him with dogs. The scene isn’t designed for shock effects alone, but rather to give a glimpse into the lasting trauma that resulted from the experience of being imprisoned. Czanak frames Douglas’ relationship with dogs however as hopeful, for there is a certain light that exists in that darkness. They are loyal and loving, even when tied down to a life of internment and robbed of potential mobility.

A Life Reclaimed: Wheels, Wigs, and Piaf To be precise, Douglas has retained a somewhat fantastical and yet strong approach to life as an adult. When we first met him, he was inside a beaten truck alongside his family, a pack of dogs. Dressed in drag, he sports a platinum-colored wig; it is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, but a tormented performer seeking solace in song could also fit the roman. Partly. But Douglas does not fit so easily into such tags. The music became part of him through his portrayal of songs such as La Ville en Rose where moments of sorrow were accentuated through joy as well as vice versa. He does things like these because he wants to reclaim the performance rather than seek escape. In this sense, sitting on a distant memory of one’ s wealth would answer what his work was supposed to be about. Dogged Justice: A Man and His Pack Douglas’ trajectory then shifts rather violently from a perpetual state of survival to one that is of revenge and justice. Much like a vigilante born out of a real-life batman setting, he grows to be a protector of the streets. The crimes he engages with are rough and lived in realism while the means he resorts to steer clear of being ordinary. Think military grade synchronized break ins, trick doors and yes, even ruthless but loyal dogs. Besson’s timing of these scenes manages to present the idea as though 101 dalmations were to blended with a woman haunting super hero story.

That’s how he depicts the operatic climactic rendering. Trained attack dogs, paraders of horror, may thoroughly amuse both the cast and the audience. Perhaps he did not foresee such eventuality. To make a perfect an operatic style, one can only indulge in uncharitable technique perfecting, by use of absurd humor. The list of operatic heroes includes Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stephen Michelson, Hans Lichtenstein, Louis Kahn, and Lawrence D’Onofrio.

However, there is a micro compositor beneath these gargantuan themes, which happens to be the canine dogs. Bream does stride the fine line between almost deleting the gists of the dog, while maintaining the confidence they deserve. There is stunning articulation of the ebb and flow, but clearly, it does take away a point or two away from the film.

So, Caleb Jones caught the eye of many people, mimicking a mix of Joker and an opera star. His smile is masterful, as the look in his eyes hints of slight insanity; and that’s infuriating. The monologue is indeed, cinematically spirited along with the grit of surrealism involved.

Besson enjoys the ridiculousness of sub-machine guns, dogs ambushing people, and lowlife villains receiving their comeuppances. But more than that, there is, in all this spectacle, a touching thought, which seeks to expose trauma – what it can do to someone and what it can undo.

Synthesis of the Absurd and the Profound

DogMan is a man-to-dogs movie but not just about that. It is about coping and twisted forms of love. The cinematic world Besson has created is anarchic and mesmerizing. But there is a fluttering heart in it. The deed of Jones and the dogs’ faithfulness transformed what would have been a clichéd story of retribution into an intriguing one.

DogMan is to be seen as an abdication of will: there saturates an outlandish vision in the movie, funny sad and utterly sincere. Sure, the canines are scene-stealers but only till their well-managed growling episodes and heroism and Douglas’s hefty reclamation of a tale steals the final cut.

Watch it for the performances. And then the chaos. And well, if you catch yourself humming Piaf afterwards, you aren’t the only one.