Telluride at Dartmouth Film: "Dogman"
The thirst for money destroys even the best men in a modern crime drama set in southern Italy.
Marcello (Marcello Fonte) is an elfin, sweet-tempered dog groomer, with a deep affection for man’s best friend. He also deals a little cocaine on the side, a neat arrangement until one of his customers forces him to assist in a robbery. This dangerously impulsive thug forever disrupts the fragile equilibrium of gentle Marcello’s life. In the manner of a classic Western, Marcello must ultimately take revenge. Writer-director Matteo Garrone returns to the impoverished, besieged small-town southern Italian atmosphere of Gomorrah, blending shocking violence with heart-melting tenderness. A former prison guard, Fonte won the Cannes Best Actor award, demonstrating both his nurturing side and, when his honor is tested, a capacity for brutality. (Italy, subtitled, 2018, 1h43m) Courtesy of Magnolia
