The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (2021)

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I'm not entirely sure, but The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet is probably the shortest feature film of this year's Sundance. On one hand, it's an extremely fast viewing, which inevitably reaches a broader audience that can spread the word about the movie. On the other hand, it risks its story and characters in the sense that these could lack proper development. Ana Katz's direction is definitely a standout, employing a gorgeous black-and-white to elevate a story about human resilience and perseverance.

A non-stop series of adverse events affects Sebastian's life, but he always finds a way of moving on, dealing with the most damaging, hurtful of situations in a strangely distant manner. I don't know if this was a technical choice from the actor, Daniel Katz, but Ana Katz and Gonzalo Delgado's screenplay is indeed a bit uneven. Starting with a really unconvincing first half, The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet eventually gets slightly better, but Sebastian is not an easy character to connect with due to his apparent indifference towards everything.

Many things that happen in his life would absolutely destroy some people, so his "whatever" behavior is weird, especially compared to other actions that he performs. In one scene, he looks like a responsible, caring, even funny human being, but as time changes between different periods of his life, Sebastian just looks like someone who doesn't really care about any sort of consequence. This character's inconsistency is definitely my main problem since I really found myself struggling to bond with him. Having watched Land yesterday, the latter approaches the same themes in a much more captivating manner. Technically though, the film has plenty of aspects worth praising.

Beautifully shot in B&W and accompanied by an interesting score (Nicolas Villamil), The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet is meant to be a character-study about a person's resilience, determination, and perseverance in the face of the worst situations that happen across one's life. Despite the message being successfully transmitted, Daniel Katz's character is far from being a compelling protagonist due to his apparent indifference towards every negative event. Acceptance and moving on is understandable and motivational even, but if the movie doesn't depict the moments that define these steps, then it becomes really challenging to feel sorry for the main character, let alone inspired. Ana Katz demonstrates her talented directing skills, but her admittedly creative screenplay co-written with Gonzalo Delgado lacks consistency and energy.

Rating: C

The resilience of the everyman is explored in “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet,” Ana Katz‘s beautiful black and white film that chronicles how a life changes over the years. Bringing humor, sadness, heart, and a little dash of sci-fi, Katz and co-writer Gonzalo Delgado tell a story about transformation in a world that always seems to be changing.

Sebastian (Daniel Katz) loves his loyal dog, Rita. After he brings her to the office one day to appease his neighbors who are tired of hearing her canine cries while he’s at work, Sebastian is fired. He and his furry companion pack up to go work on a farm so they can live as they please. But after an accident (which is told through sorrowful hand-drawn animation), Sebastian finds himself homeless and all alone. The story follows the man throughout the years, as he takes a variety of temporary jobs.

The film’s run time may be short (73 minutes), but Katz’s storytelling is observational, and she takes her time detailing every nuance. It’s this sensitive direction that makes everything from a forgotten sandwich on a public bus to the joy of a dog’s ears brushed by the wind suddenly have a deeper meaning.

While the first half of the film is terrific, the ending heads off the rails a bit. There’s a weird and largely unnecessary segment about a catastrophic event that renders the Earth’s air toxic and causes a pandemic. I guess you can say that Sebastian, now a father and back working in an office environment, was already having difficulty catching his breath.

“The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet” is a beautiful film through and through, even when it doesn’t work as well as you’d hope.