Review | Dog life

In a world where superficiality reigns, finding a sincere look and affection is difficult. Finding someone who accepts us with all our imperfections is complicated. Finding someone who wants to stay is almost like winning a lottery jackpot. They say the dog is man's best friend... I always wondered why. Today I know. With three cats and four dogs of which three are strays and rescued from the street, I know why they say that. They don't judge you, they don't look at you badly, they don't charge you, they aren't petty and selfish. They offer what is most beautiful and sincere about them: affection. the documentary Dog life in Elizabeth Lo shows us without romanticism the harsh reality that many animals experience on the streets and, in parallel, human life in the gutter.

The documentary premiered this Friday (20), and was filmed in Turkey, a country that is prohibited from capturing stray dogs and killing them, between 2017 and 2019. It is a very beautiful production, as it does not make up the real thing. situation of homeless people, whether a person or an animal. The difficulties to survive another day are the same: the cold, hunger, lack of a suitable place to stay, mistreatment, lack of empathy from others, prejudice, the sadness of not belonging anywhere and hope for better days that may not come. 

We noticed that the street animals have tags on their ears and some have names and it is the stories of these animals that we see the feature develop. The first dog that appears in the feature is Zeytin, big, caramel and handsome, many touch him, praise his strength, because he seems to be strong even when he is on the street and we see that sometimes people help him. There are those who are afraid of these animals, as they do not see the sweetness hidden within them and do not imagine that they are afraid of being attacked by those who should take care of them.

The sadness of not having a place to stay is not just restricted to strays. Elizabeth Lo's feature also captures those who live on the fringes of society. We are introduced to a group of boys who take care of Zeytin and other dogs. The boys are of Syrian origin and came to Turkey to flee the country's civil war. One of them mentions that he has been in Istanbul for approximately two or three years, also without a place to live. We see that their situation is very difficult and to hide their hunger, they use drugs, cigarettes and glue. But it is from them that we see an affection for animals. The film is very real in showing everything they go through.

We then realized that the director draws a parallel between animals and people. Both dogs and boys seek shelter, protection and are often ignored and left out. For example, a scene that is very common to see, but that we don't give a damn, is when one of the stray dogs approaches a dog with a leash and a raincoat. And at that moment we see that the dog is eating bones left on the floor and this reminds us of the homeless people who often resort to the garbage to not suffer from hunger, because we humans can be selfish with others when we want to. From there, the title starts to make sense and in this ambiguity of meaning, we perceive the director's look at the feature.

Therefore, the director makes the animals even more human, as we are able to empathize with them and rethink the reality of many animals that live in conditions of total abandonment. And the most curious thing is that at the end of the feature we wonder how they are currently. It is always interesting to analyze works like this one, as it reminds us of the humanity that can still exist within us. With courageous posture, they follow their path in the fight for survival.

The production is well produced, has a delicacy capable of touching those who watch. The soundtrack and photography are beautiful and well balanced in a way that complements each other. Elizabeth Lo's documentary, produced in partnership with Shane Boris, producer of 'Democracy in Vertigem', is available for purchase and rent on the following platforms: Claro Now, Vivo Play, Sky Play, Google Play and YouTube Filmes. 'Dog life' is distributed by Synapse Distribution.