“Dogman” is what the leading hero calls the little dog-grooming parlor he owns in a small town in Italy. His name is Marcello (Marcello Fonte) and he seems to be gentle and loving before anything else. His daughter lives with his ex-wife. At times, he takes his daughter scuba-diving. But Marcello is also a minor-league drug dealer, who sells cocaine to an annoying, troublesome customer named Simone. Simone is a bully who terrorizes the town like a mad dog on the loose. The connection between these two unlikely people forms the film’s core. One day, Simone forces him to take part in a robbery. The police come the next day and take Marcello away. They know that Simone is behind this mess, and they tell Marcello to sign a paper accusing Simone. If he does that, he’ll go free, otherwise he will have to spend a year in jail. Surprisingly, Marcello decides to spend a year in jail. When he returns to his home, he notices that he has become an outsider in his own community.
The cinematography by Nicolai Bruel reflects the film’s bitter tone. The saturated colors over each scene enhance the uncanny qualities of this film. It presents a doomed world where no one is quite clean or blameless. Director and co-writer Matteo Garrone presents us with a grim world. Marcello Fonte delivers a solid performance in the leading role. We are not quite sure why he likes to get dominated by Simone. Is it his lust for power? Or fear? Fonte’s performance keeps us guessing about it till the end. Dogman is actually a character study that digs deep into the human dilemmas of the violence hidden inside each one of us.
debarshithecinemaniac 