This short film from Damien Manivel of a man taking his dog for a walk has no music or dialogue, no special effects, and no plot to speak of. There are no moments of humour or horror. Hardly anything interesting happens at all; which appears to be the point. Watching its mundanity unfold at a gentle pace allows the viewer's mind to wander - to begin imagining what the walls and fences of his neighbourhood conceal.
As viewers, we cannot help striving to find meaning in a film. I found myself unconsciously trying to predict how each scene might play out - to attempt to expect the unexpected.
And yet here, a chance meeting with a female dog-walker does not lead to romance; a swim for his dog in the river has no tragic outcome; and even the source and motive of suspicious thuds and screams inside a building are never revealed to us. In effect, we are just like the main character, searching for crumbs of significance in the banal and commonplace.
In the final sequence, the man returns to his home and thinks about entering, but instead, continues to a small, secluded hill, where he sits and pets his dog whilst looking into space. Why is he reluctant to go home? All we can do is speculate.
As viewers, we cannot help striving to find meaning in a film. I found myself unconsciously trying to predict how each scene might play out - to attempt to expect the unexpected.
And yet here, a chance meeting with a female dog-walker does not lead to romance; a swim for his dog in the river has no tragic outcome; and even the source and motive of suspicious thuds and screams inside a building are never revealed to us. In effect, we are just like the main character, searching for crumbs of significance in the banal and commonplace.
In the final sequence, the man returns to his home and thinks about entering, but instead, continues to a small, secluded hill, where he sits and pets his dog whilst looking into space. Why is he reluctant to go home? All we can do is speculate.