Todd’s in poor health and therefore retreats to a rural and vacant family residence accompanied solely by his loyal and highly huggable pet dog, Indy, who is in fact the protagonist of this little film. Upon arrival the observant canine notices a dark supernatural presence looming about and basically spends the rest of the (admittedly short) runtime courageously trying to warn and protect his master. The camera stays on his tail either following him from behind looking over his shoulder as he explores or filming him head-on capturing his incredibly expressive facial features as he observes, ponders and bravely takes action.
Working with animals is notoriously tricky and I can only imagine the painstaking labour that must have gone into this. The footage they managed to capture (over several years of shooting) is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I loved little details like each time a door/floorboard/staircase creeks, Indy stares hyper-focused for a second before proceeding onward to sniff about fearlessly. Or when Todd leaves the house and Indy goes to stand motionless by the window until he returns. Universally recognisable pooch behaviour. It’s all incredibly well-observed.
One would be quick to praise Indy’s performance – and granted it was absolutely stellar, man, don’t get me wrong, somebody give that doggy an award pronto. But one might also want to credit the often unsung editing prowess on display that in this case in particular makes for such an efficient story-telling tool, taking the viewer on a mostly non-verbal ride that still manages to convey so much meaning while also allowing for some truly spectacular shots to play out uninterrupted when called for. It’s seamless but pretty incredible when you think about the countless hours it must have taken writer/director Ben Leonberg and his crew to achieve.
There isn’t much more to the story, tough, and rounding it off at about 73′ was certainly a smart move. I assume one could discern some deeper meaning and view the film as Indy’s perception of his master’s deterioration more than a tangible ghost story. However, it could also be argued that some of the events depicted are quite unambiguous, indeed. In spite of its narrative frailty, though, I can’t see why anyone would – at the very least – not appreciate a film like Good Boy. Granted, I love cinema and horror movies in particular and I’m also very much a dog person in case you hadn’t noticed so I suppose it makes sense that this movie would resonate strongly with me. But then again who wouldn’t root for a low-budget feature debut showcasing fresh ideas and an undeniable dedication to the craft? Especially one starring the sweetest wittle woof ever to grace the silver screen. Who’s a good boy? Indy’s a good boy. Yes, he is. Yes, you are. Aren’t you, boy?
