Review of DogMan

Even if the pachydermic dramaturgy is still there, Luc Besson introduces subtlety into his cinema. And he writes some fine dialogues for the two main characters, Caleb Landry Jones and Jojo T. Gibbs, i.e. The DogMan of the title and the psychiatrist who interrogates him at the police station, for scenes of dialogue between these two characters, which are very successful. The richness of the film lies in the beautiful scenes in the police station between these two characters. The film is a succession of flashbacks in which Caleb Landry Jones tells his story to the psychiatrist. Also noteworthy are the psychiatrist's dialogues with her mother: a fine performance by Jojo T. Gibbs as the psychiatrist. Very fine writing.

The film is full of emotional moments, with both main characters moving in turn. The screenplay avoids certain clichés (the psychiatrist's tension with her ex could have led to the DogMan dealing with the ex, but it doesn't). As does the ending, which takes the film into a certain unreality.

The film is a pleasant surprise. The richness of the two main characters, the idea of using dogs, the performance of Caleb Landry Jones, all rest on a classicism of form; there's no hysteria about the form. Just a story of his life told by Caleb Landry Jones. His childhood (a rather unsubtle passage, but it's hard to be light-hearted), books and Shakespeare, cabaret and so on.

A calm, thoughtful film.