Film Reviews

Bombon - The Dog

• Rating:
• Director: Carlos Sorin
• Starring: Juan Villegas
• Details: Argentina-Spain / 97 mins (15s)

Made redundant from his job as a mechanic, 52-year-old Juan (Villegas) finds himself thrown on the scrapheap after twenty years diligent service. After helping a stranded motorist, however, he is rewarded with the gift of a gigantic pedigree dog, the all-white Dogo Argentino, Lechien. One swift consultation with dog-show veteran Walter (Donado) later, Juan is dreaming of glory - until Lechien fails miserably at stud duties. Directed with an almost dream-like simplicity by Sorin, Bombon - The Dog is a quiet, unaffected film about how dignity can be found in the most unusual of places. Sorin takes his story out of the cities and into Argentina's hinterland, allowing his cameras to drift through rough, rural Patagonia as a homage to native perseverance and endurance. Utilising an almost entirely unprofessional cast, Sorin achieves a studied, deadpan humour that is hugely winning, while the relationship between Juan and his new four-legged friend is a more dignified version of Clint and Clyde in Every Which Way But Loose. For all that, however, the somnolent tone takes its toll. There's precious little by way of narrative progression and the slight story isn't really enough to grip the imagination for an hour and a half.

Review by Declan Burke