 |  | Get Showtimes... |
Review #246 of 365
Film: The Dogwalker (2006) [NR] 99 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.00
Where Viewed: Landmark Chez Artiste, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 14 September 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Directed by: Jacques Thelemaque
Written by: Jacques Thelemaque
Featured Cast (Where I Remember Him/Her From):
Diane Gaidry (America So Beautiful) • Pamela Gordon (Stealing Harvard)
Official Movie Site: The Dogwalker
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
It has taken years and years along with favorable film festival audience reaction to get The Dogwalker into the theatres. It literally won best first feature at the 2002 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival for writer / director Jacque Thelemaque. The film is a surprisingly engaging story considering the premise: a young woman named Ellie (Diane Gaidry—Jacque Thelemaque's wife) from Buffalo, NY, takes the first plane out of the city and ends up homeless and haplessly in Los Angeles, CA. Treacherous searches for pot and food, lead her to a chance encounter with an extremely aged woman named Betsy portrayed by veteran actress of countless small television and movie roles, Pamela Gordon. Betsy, an enterprising woman who lost the better part of her career years serving 25 years in prison for murdering her abusive husband, upon parole founded her own dog walking business for the well-heeled residents of LA who cannot be bothered to walk their own dogs. Seeing an opportunity for mutual benefit, Betsy takes Ellie in on a short-term basis to help her with the business as she recuperates from a nasty bout with terminal cancer. Right off the bat, Ellie proves herself wildly incapable, immature, and inept when it comes to doing anything other than stealing Betsy's supply of medicinal pot and smoking it at all hours of the night. Still, Betsy sees something in her, something worth saving, though she does advise, "How can you take care of dogs if you can't take care of yourself." Interestingly enough, the film is as much about the subculture of dog lovers as it does about the strange and ornery Betsy and her developing relationship with Ellie. Mapping the same relationship onto a newspaper delivery person, a crossing guard, or a Wal-mart greeter would not have the same effect. The dogs play a role in the film as stabilizers. They act without malice of forethought, they move from emotion to the next without reconciliation of the past.
"The story is a good one drawn out too long. Focus…would have sharpened the film and increased its power. "
Their pampered existence in these homes while the dog walker barely ekes out a living also stands out in contrast. Meanwhile, Ellie does have strong mother/child feelings for Betsy. She worries about the old woman and how she will make it through the rest of her years without constant care. The evolution of their relationship is profound to watch as Ellie worms her way through cracks in Betsy's dam. But, Betsy doesn't go down quietly. She makes Ellie earn every last nugget of information. They find they are kindred spirits in that they were both victims of physical abuse at the hands of males in their lives. But, the final clue to what made Betsy tick came when Ellie learns that Betsy actually was the mother of two children—both of whom she lost to foster care and then adoption when she went to prison. Betsy knows, subconsciously, that she's not going to live forever, and she seeks out a way to meet her children. When they fail to show up at the meeting place, she writes them off once and for all, and kicks Ellie out of her life leaving her homeless and jobless. This turns out to be a crucial step for Ellie's empowerment, independence, and self-esteem.
The story is a good one drawn out too long. There's not quite enough substance here for a full-featured film, as the story spends quite a lot of time chasing lost dogs. What power the film does have is in the interactions between Ellie and Betsy, which keep taking a back seat to walking the dogs through the park, Ellie's social life, Ellie's problem with addictive substances, and Ellie's encounters with the dog's owners. Likewise, while we finally get to see through Betsy's cracks, we never fully understand what lies beneath the full body armor Ellie uses to shield all her pain and scars. We can tell that Betsy sees much of herself in the younger woman and that she hopes to help her avoid the same mistakes she made, but we never know the full extent of what happened to Ellie. Focusing in more on this and their relationship would have sharpened the film and increased its power. Both Ms Gaidry and Ms Gordon deliver super performances, it's just unfortunate that the film didn't take place somewhere where their characters would have been forced into more direct conflict and understanding rather than the megalopolis of LA which has its own grudges to bear upon them.
The story is a good one drawn out too long. There's not quite enough substance here for a full-featured film, as the story spends quite a lot of time chasing lost dogs. What power the film does have is in the interactions between Ellie and Betsy, which keep taking a back seat to walking the dogs through the park, Ellie's social life, Ellie's problem with addictive substances, and Ellie's encounters with the dog's owners. Likewise, while we finally get to see through Betsy's cracks, we never fully understand what lies beneath the full body armor Ellie uses to shield all her pain and scars. We can tell that Betsy sees much of herself in the younger woman and that she hopes to help her avoid the same mistakes she made, but we never know the full extent of what happened to Ellie. Focusing in more on this and their relationship would have sharpened the film and increased its power. Both Ms Gaidry and Ms Gordon deliver super performances, it's just unfortunate that the film didn't take place somewhere where their characters would have been forced into more direct conflict and understanding rather than the megalopolis of LA which has its own grudges to bear upon them.
Back to Top | W.I.P. Scale™ | Most Recently Reviewed Films | Films of 2005 | Films of 2006
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The Dogwalker (2006) Cast Members
Diane Gaidry
• Pamela GordonOther Projects Featuring The Dogwalker (2006) Director
Jacques Thelemaque
The Dogwalker (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Writer / director Jacque Thelemaque's The Dogwalker, 2002 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival's Best First Feature, is a surprisingly engaging story considering the premise: Bessie (Diane Gaidry), a young woman from Buffalo, takes the first plane out of the city and ends up homeless and penniless in LA. A chance meeting with elderly woman, Betsy (Pamela Gordon)--an enterprising woman who lost the better part of her career years serving 25 years in prison for murdering her abusive husband--whom, upon parole, founded her own dog walking business. Seeing an opportunity for mutual benefit, Betsy takes Ellie in on a short-term basis to help her with the business as she recuperates from a nasty bout with terminal cancer. The story is drawn out too long. Too much time is spent chasing lost dogs. Focusing in more on their relationship would have sharpened the film and increased its power.
No comments:
Post a Comment