Ana Katz‘s melancholic yet hopeful film, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, is a challenging, beautiful watch. Not content with delivering a simple linear narrative, Katz opts to tell her story through an anthology of vignettes in a style that continues to surprise.
This Argentinian film sets its stall out early when we are introduced to the titular dog. Sebastian’s (Daniel Katz) neighbours come round to complain that his dog is constantly whining and crying and it is making their lives hell. However, the audience never hears the dog cry. Instead, it remains strangely silent. Immediately it causes the audience to question what’s truly going on.
Despite the title, the dog is also not the focus of the story. This isn’t Homeward Bound or even Beethoven. It merely serves as the catalyst to Sebastian’s journey, one triggered by losing his office job because he keeps bringing the dog along to his place of work.
Whenever life becomes too much or events take a tragic turn, the film cuts to hand drawn images to fill in the blanks. At first, this may prove jarring, feeling like storyboards inserted as placeholders for unfilmed footage. However, it becomes clear that for Sebastian, who works as a graphic designer, the drawings are his own way of recording the events: a crude but effective coping mechanism.
It is just one of the many unusual storytelling tools used to tell the story of one man’s life. Where a moment of pain, sadness, or just bad luck can also lead to something good. It is a testament to Katz’s grasp of style and tone that when the film evolves into absurdist science fiction, it somehow feels like a natural progression to what preceded.
The second act proceeds meanderingly, as Sebastian aimlessly drifts from job to job – that is, until the fall of a meteor introduces a poisonous gas that makes all air above the four foot line completely unbreathable. Thus the film veers into science-fiction territory and biting social commentary, one where the poor are forced to carry out their day-to-day lives while crouched down or crawling on all fours, and the rich just buy themselves fish bowl-shaped breathing apparatus and go about their lives. One might argue it’s too on-the-nose, but the absurdity of it is played straight and in a way reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos‘ works.
Moments like that are evidence that Katz has a distinct style and voice that will undoubtedly continue to develop and surprise. And while this work is stunning to look at and wonderfully unique, some may struggle to emotionally connect with the story’s protagonist and narrative. As a result, it’s fair to say that The Dog Who Wouldn’t be Quiet has more bark than it does real bite.
The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet is available from Curzon Cinemas on demand from May 21st.