Directed by Lasse Hallestrom (is the pronunciation 'Lassie'?). One of the human actors' first name is 'Pooch'.
Stars: in order of appearance - Bailey, a golden retriever; Ellie, a German shepherd police dog; Tino, a corgi; and Buddy, a Bernese mountain dog.
I confess I'm a dog-lover. My parents bought me my first dog Tim, when I was still in the pram. He was described without proper enquiry as to his origin, and generously, as a black and tan kelpie. As soon as I could walk, we spent every day together. On one occasion he led me, a toddler, into the shelter of a wheel-barrow leaning upright against a fence. There, we sheltered from a Mallee dust-storm. My mother was distraught when she realised I wasn't in the house. After the storm moved on, Tim emerged, in response to the frantic calls of my mother and siblings. I remained behind the wheel barrow - asleep! We continued our relationship for about another seven years. He walked with me to school, and when I came out of school; in the afternoon, he would be waiting for me. One afternoon, he wasn't there. I ran home, as fast as my short legs were capable. Mum was inconsolable. We stood in the drive way, embraced in grief. Tim, chasing a horse and cart, had been run over and killed by a car. Born and raised in a small hamlet near the Murray river in Victoria, Tim had no road sense. This was my earliest experience of genuine grief. I have never forgotten Tim and I'm now 72 years of age.
In the intervening years I have been involved with many dogs, pets, working dogs, giants and minnows. Unfortunately, they all die before you do. Grief upon grief. I nursed two of these dogs when they were dying. It was plain to me they knew they were dying. More grief.
This film uses reincarnation, to side-step the problem of a dog's short life. Bailey becomes Ellie, the police dog and dies a hero while on duty. As she dies, her handler stays by her side, paralysed by grief. With working dogs you must - like a good football coach - keep your distance from your charge, for the sake of performance. Disciplined reservation of emotional space is required. Yet I've seen hard men, eyes welled with tears and choked by grief, when their dog has been killed hunting in the field or working in the sale yards.
Tino, a corgi finds love for her young mistress and then leads her infant children in the joy and fun of play. Dogs are the perfect fit for children, full of crazy capers and rapid action, underpinned with unconditional love and devotion. There is a typical and funny scene of the owner being interrogated by a vet as to her feeding regime for Tino. She is evasive in her answers, guilty, like most dog owners of overfeeding their pet dogs with "treats".
Bailey reincarnates as Buddy. Old relationships are resumed and Buddy is set for a great life.
This is a film for dog lovers. The director plays on the emotions apparent between owners and their dogs. As a dog lover I did not resist her manipulation, experiencing only the slightest sense of guilt, for enjoying that base human failing - sentimentality.
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