Dogs. Beyond the bond that they have long had with humans, dogs have also held a prominent role throughout the history of cinema. In the silent film era, there was Rin Tin Tin, who was a huge star on the silver screen and would later be an inspiration for the 1976 film “Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood.” Recently, there was Messi, a French Border Collie, who had a prominent role in Justine Triet’s 2023 Palme d’Or-winning film, “Anatomy of a Fall.”
While there have been many films featuring dogs as the main characters, the number of films from their perspective is quite small, especially in terms of what genre they fall under. “Good Boy,” the feature-length directorial debut of Ben Leonberg, takes this approach of having a supernatural horror film from a dog’s perspective. I recently attended a screening of “Good Boy,” and it is a truly enthralling watch.
“Good Boy” takes place from the perspective of Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. He and his owner, Todd, move into a house that Todd’s grandfather once resided in until his strange death — an isolated monolith in the middle of the woods. Indy soon begins to see and detect strange forces that lurk within this house that Todd cannot see, with these supernatural forces putting Todd in danger. As a result of these entities becoming a dangerous threat, Indy must keep Todd safe.
Indy the Dog, the star of the film who also happens to be Leonberg’s own dog, delivers a one-of-a-kind performance as the titular good boy. His subtle expressions of confusion and concern, along with truly intense moments of peril, tugged at my heartstrings, especially as someone who owns a seven-month-old puppy (her name is Grace and she is a Border Collie). A technical aspect that resulted in such a great performance from Indy is the phenomenal editing done by Curtis Roberts. A prominent example of this editing is a sequence in which Indy sees Bandit, the dog that Todd’s grandfather owned, who mysteriously vanished, suddenly appearing in the living room and walking. After this happens, the film cuts to a reaction shot of Indy, with a look of pure confusion on his face.
Writer-director Ben Leonberg drenches the film in an unnerving atmosphere and tension, with the film also becoming metaphorical as the plot progresses, resulting in a unique take on the supernatural horror genre. Leonberg’s direction also resulted in a stellar performance from his dog, Indy, especially in taking such a distinct approach in capturing his performance.
Leonberg’s choice of having the entire film be from the perspective of a dog even extends to the framing of the film. Throughout the film, Todd’s face is out of frame, with certain shots obscuring his face, such as wide shots of him. The only character whose face is ever seen clearly during every scene that is not obscured in some way and not hidden at all, is that of Todd’s grandfather (portrayed by Larry Fessenden, who also is a prolific producer who worked as a producer on two of Kelly Reichardt’s films, 2008’s “Wendy and Lucy” and 2016’s “Certain Women”). Most of the grandfather’s appearances are in the form of various videotapes that Todd plays, with the grainy imagery of the television illuminating the dark house that he watches them in.
With “Good Boy,” Ben Leonberg crafts a strong directorial debut that takes a unique approach to the supernatural horror genre, with the film’s lead delivering one of the best dog performances ever captured on film. “Good Boy” is a film that will tug at the heartstrings of any dog lover, and by the end of the film, will make anyone who watches it want to hug their dog.
Indy is truly a good boy.
“Good Boy” is now playing in theaters and will be available to buy on Amazon Prime Video on October 24.
