**Possible Spoilers**
For starters, "Lawn Dogs" is one of those movies that Hollywood could never produce. Good, I say. I look forward to all those films that haven't been tainted by Hollywood's monetary grip.
Firstly, I'd rather not write a review that details every scene. I prefer to not ruin the movie experience for those not fortunate enough to have seen it already. However, I'll still mention a few moments that set it apart from all others.
This movie is about prejudice and love, about close-mindedness and the power of friendship. When you watch the movie for the first time, you get the feeling of a community very much cut off from the world and reality. It has a very 'desert island feel' about it. There is actually so much discrimination in this movie as to be rather frightening in its true-to-life nature.
Sam Rockwell plays Trent in his finest performance on-screen to date. He was actually a superb choice for this movie, having the perfect 'look' for the part. He befriends 10 year old Devon (the astonishing Mischa Barton who should, in my opinion, have been Oscar nominated). Devon is innocent, sweet and trusting - who has yet to be corrupted or taught to discriminate against others of a lower status than her. Morton and Clare (Christopher McDonald and Kathleen Quinlan) brilliantly play her parents who attempt to pry Devon away from Trent throughout the course of the film, trying to make foul of any kindness he has shown her. This makes for painful, yet brilliantly viewable scenes of maliciousness.
There is of course the blatant moral nature of this movie. An obvious one is to look at oneself before judging others. One simple example of this is the scene with Quinlan in her back garden (which I won't spoil). Morton is so wrapped up in the affairs of his daughter and Trent that he fails to notice his own wife. The irony of this is so perfectly fitting and is not resolved by the end of the movie. Angie Harmon plays the user and abuser "girlfriend" very well which just furthers the point the director was trying to get across. Trent is used physically and emotionally in this movie and you can't help but pity his useless situation. Normally when one watches a movie (generally Hollywood movies) you can shout out 'but why didn't you do 'x'?!" In the case of "Lawn Dogs" you find yourself in the troubling position of not knowing what to tell Trent to do. The 'not knowing' makes for interesting viewing as the tale unfolds.
Many people have complained about the fairy-tale nature of the ending, but I see it as beautiful and fitting. This movie is not a fairy-tale. The ending is not wrapped up by any means. Who says the magic at the end of the movie actually happened? Perhaps Trent threw the various items out of his truck as a testament to how strong his friendship with Devon was? Perhaps he imagined the magic as a result of Devon's love? Perhaps, in this community of discriminators, the love from an innocent child took him away at speed from those who would hold him down.
I'll let you decide.
As the end credits roll, you don't receive the satisfaction that only Hollywood can give you when the good guy shoots the bad guy. You're given the satisfaction that friendship and love has won through, but not in the dramatic way only Hollywood can give you. What else really matters?
To sum up, "Lawn Dogs" is such a sparkling gem that didn't need Hollywood's money to buy it, and is all the better for that. A wonderful film I highly recommend. Watch it by yourself in a quiet room and let it envelop you.
(Apologies if some parts of the review didn't make sense - I'd rather leave the discovering part for when/if you actually watch the movie.)
For starters, "Lawn Dogs" is one of those movies that Hollywood could never produce. Good, I say. I look forward to all those films that haven't been tainted by Hollywood's monetary grip.
Firstly, I'd rather not write a review that details every scene. I prefer to not ruin the movie experience for those not fortunate enough to have seen it already. However, I'll still mention a few moments that set it apart from all others.
This movie is about prejudice and love, about close-mindedness and the power of friendship. When you watch the movie for the first time, you get the feeling of a community very much cut off from the world and reality. It has a very 'desert island feel' about it. There is actually so much discrimination in this movie as to be rather frightening in its true-to-life nature.
Sam Rockwell plays Trent in his finest performance on-screen to date. He was actually a superb choice for this movie, having the perfect 'look' for the part. He befriends 10 year old Devon (the astonishing Mischa Barton who should, in my opinion, have been Oscar nominated). Devon is innocent, sweet and trusting - who has yet to be corrupted or taught to discriminate against others of a lower status than her. Morton and Clare (Christopher McDonald and Kathleen Quinlan) brilliantly play her parents who attempt to pry Devon away from Trent throughout the course of the film, trying to make foul of any kindness he has shown her. This makes for painful, yet brilliantly viewable scenes of maliciousness.
There is of course the blatant moral nature of this movie. An obvious one is to look at oneself before judging others. One simple example of this is the scene with Quinlan in her back garden (which I won't spoil). Morton is so wrapped up in the affairs of his daughter and Trent that he fails to notice his own wife. The irony of this is so perfectly fitting and is not resolved by the end of the movie. Angie Harmon plays the user and abuser "girlfriend" very well which just furthers the point the director was trying to get across. Trent is used physically and emotionally in this movie and you can't help but pity his useless situation. Normally when one watches a movie (generally Hollywood movies) you can shout out 'but why didn't you do 'x'?!" In the case of "Lawn Dogs" you find yourself in the troubling position of not knowing what to tell Trent to do. The 'not knowing' makes for interesting viewing as the tale unfolds.
Many people have complained about the fairy-tale nature of the ending, but I see it as beautiful and fitting. This movie is not a fairy-tale. The ending is not wrapped up by any means. Who says the magic at the end of the movie actually happened? Perhaps Trent threw the various items out of his truck as a testament to how strong his friendship with Devon was? Perhaps he imagined the magic as a result of Devon's love? Perhaps, in this community of discriminators, the love from an innocent child took him away at speed from those who would hold him down.
I'll let you decide.
As the end credits roll, you don't receive the satisfaction that only Hollywood can give you when the good guy shoots the bad guy. You're given the satisfaction that friendship and love has won through, but not in the dramatic way only Hollywood can give you. What else really matters?
To sum up, "Lawn Dogs" is such a sparkling gem that didn't need Hollywood's money to buy it, and is all the better for that. A wonderful film I highly recommend. Watch it by yourself in a quiet room and let it envelop you.
(Apologies if some parts of the review didn't make sense - I'd rather leave the discovering part for when/if you actually watch the movie.)