Screening on 20/09/19
Itlay 2018
Dir: Matteo Garrone
Starring: Marcello Fonte (Best Actor – Cannes 2018), Edoardo Pesce
Cert 15
103 mins
Set in a grim coastal suburb of Rome, Dogman centres on the doleful, mild-mannered Marcello, who runs a modest dog grooming business. Estranged from his wife, Marcello lives for the time he gets to spend with his beloved daughter Alida. He is, however, no angel, and the devil in him does not shrink from supplementing his income with a lucrative sideline. Unfortunately, his dealing in cocaine brings him into contact with Simone, a vicious thug who constitutes a one-man crimewave, terrorising the community. Simone continually bullies Marcello, fully exploiting his weakness. For his part, Marcello always acquiesces and, in submission bordering on masochistic devotion, even saves Simone’s life and does time for him. Will Marcello ever find the wherewithal to assert himself? Provocative and visceral, Dogman is a powerful, morally ambiguous film which tackles disturbing issues head-on.
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