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Black Dog

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7.2/10 • 102

2024-06-141h 56m

Drama

On the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls embark on a journey together.

Directors
Guan Hu
Editors
Li Weiwen

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Eddie Peng Yu-Yan

    Eddie Peng Yu-Yan

    Lang Yonghui

  2. Tong Liya

    Tong Liya

    Putao

  3. Jia Zhangke

    Jia Zhangke

    Uncle Yao

  4. Zhou You

    Zhou You

    Nie Shili

  5. Hu Xiaoguang

    Hu Xiaoguang

    Butcher Hu

  6. Wang Yiquan

    Wang Yiquan

    Police Officer Liu

  7. Niu Ben

    Niu Ben

    Mr. Camel

  8. Yin Yuanzhang

    Yin Yuanzhang

    Noodle Restaurant Owner

  9. Zhang Li

    Zhang Li

    Yang Da

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Sep 1, 2024

7/10

"Lang" (Eddie Peng) has returned to his hometown after a term in prison. We learn a little more about the causes of that and of his distant relationship with his zoo-keeping father as the story develops, as well as discovering that he once was one of the place's more famous citizens being in a popular local band. With the Beijing Olympiad (2008) looming large, there is quite an emphasis for the government on tarting the place up - and that signals quite significant "improvements" for their home on the edge of the Gobi desert. Much of it has already been earmarked for demolition, and with most of the heart (and soul) of the place already removed, the authorities turn their attention to the serious problem of hundreds of feral dogs marauding around potentially spreading rabies. There is one particularly skinny black one that is worth 1000 Yuan if it can be caught, and that's the target for the motor-cycling "Lang". Thing is, this mutt is no mug, and is soon doing more of the chasing (and biting). One particularly embarrassing nibble sees both confined to his home in quarantine and that's when the bonds begin to become established and we also realise the extent of hostility felt by some to this man. With the bulldozers never far away, his ailing dad's zoo no longer able to care for it's tenants and the vengeful butcher "Hu" (Hu Xiaoguang) and his thugs out for revenge, we settle into a tale of this newfound friendship that's quite engaging. It's predictable in stages, but it's really the largely dialogue-free effort from Peng set against a backdrop of relentless winds, dust and trains rolling through the increasingly lifeless town that gives this a bit of potency. It's not so much that the town is being cleared because of the Olympics, though that's clearly on director Hu Guan's mind, it's that why was a town ever here in this inhospitable place in the place? It's bleak and forlorn, a concrete oasis in the middle of nowhere and that setting works well as the man himself comes across as lonely, detached as well as emotionally and physically rootless. It's a slow watch, but not one that drags, for two hours and it rather effectively sums up an existence of mundanity, lack of opportunity and a desire for a true sense of freedom quite well. Be warned, not a great deal happens - but I did enjoy it.

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Status
Released
Original Language
Chinese
Budget
--
Revenue
$4,600,000.00
Keywords
dog