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Black Dog

Directed by Hu Guan
2024
110 minutes
M
A one-of-a-kind crowd pleaser featuring a man and many, many dogs that spectacularly riffs on westerns, Asian indie cinema, neo-noir and even Mad Max. Winner of Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

Returning to his hometown on the edge of the Gobi Desert after a lengthy stint in prison, Lang (Eddie Peng, fantastic – Jump Ashin!) is the classic anti-hero: slinky, sullen and into motorbikes. The town is in strife, with buildings under demolition orders and abandoned dogs roaming the streets. Weeks out from the Beijing Olympics, the town officials decide to crack down on the stray canines, particularly the elusive Black Dog. The story of how Lang finds his canine soulmate is full of surreal twists and turns and Lassie-like heroics – not to mention a circus troupe, a lonesome tiger, a sneaky performance by acclaimed director Jia Zhangke (Caught by the Tides), and a snake farmer called Butcher Hu. Hit director Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred, The Sacrifice) relishes the sandblasted setting, making this strikingly shot Cannes winner an irresistible cinematic treat.

The real star is Black Dog himself, who navigates the arc from misunderstood arse-biter to brave and noble hound with real aplomb.
SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

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Tickets

Sat 22 Feb
3:30pm
Katherine Cinema 3
Book Tickets Cancel
Year
2024
Classification
M
Language
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Director
Hu Guan
Cast
Eddie Peng
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