Review of Pet

Pet (I) (2016)
7/10
Caged
5 October 2017
Emotionally fragile and very, very lonely, a dog pound employee builds a cage to house the young woman he has been stalking in this psychological horror film with some surprising twists and turns. While the film occasionally lacks in the credibility department (would all dog pounds have such extensive catacombs?), it makes up for any plausibility shortfalls by crafting two well developed main characters with any intriguing power dynamic between them. Dominic Monaghan is perfectly cast as the socially awkward lead with ample scenes that humanise him (hugging a dog while it receives a lethal injection) to the point that he only ever seems misguided and not monstrous in his actions. As his victim, Ksenia Solo seems to have a very bland character at first, but from the moment she wakes up in the cage, our perceptions about her change by the minute. Clocking in at only around 90 minutes, the filmmakers could certainly have done more with characters' psychological tug-of-war. Either way though, this is not the typical captivity thriller that one might expect based on the title and promotional artwork. The film finishes on a memorable note too with it left up to us to consider whether the protagonist unexpectedly achieved his deepest desires or not. To state much more might ruin a fresh experience; suffice it to say, this is a film best entered with as few preconceptions as possible.
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