Togo (2019)

Dog movies are a breed of their own (I couldn't resisit). They tend to be heavy on sentimentality and light on nuance. There is a reason people watch these films and it is not often about depth or artistry. But there is no reason a film about a dog can't also be a beautiful film.

Togo is gorgeously shot, taking full advantage of the Alberta landscape they shot it in (filling in for Alaska). Director Core uses the winterscape to craft a portrait like canvass filled with greys and whites and icy blues. The film jumps back and forth in time following the beginning and ending of the relationship between man and beast, using the summers of the past contrasted with the winter of the present to tell a holistic story about that relationship. It is truly watchable in this format, a clever way to tell a story that might feel more cliche told in a more linear fashion.

Dafoe brings a gravitas to the story by heightening his speech patterns as if he's readying poetry with that amazing voice of his. He plays off Julianne Nicholson very well as his wife, the two making up the heart of the story. A story which follows all the typical tropes of the dog movie genre, yet manages, through Core's beautiful direction and the two leads' earnest performances, to transcend the genre just enough.

Togo will please dog movie fans but might also just be entertaining enough to please any audience.

Togo
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Julianne Nicholson
Director: Ericson Core
Writer: Tom Flynn