Dog

"Movies about the relationship between humans and their dogs are always emotional, ready to make people shed a river of tears. 'Marley & Me', 'My Friend Enzo', 'Four Lives of a Dog'... There are many productions that follow the same narrative elements and, seeming close to exhaustion, they are successful and continue to move people. Another movie that enters this list is 'Dog'. Starring Channing Tatum in his directorial debut, who takes the baton alongside screenwriter Reid Carolin, the feature film tells the story of Jackson Briggs (Tatum), a military man who wants to get back into active duty after suffering a brain trauma. However, in the midst of this desire, a military friend dies in action. That's when Briggs' boss explains that if he wants to return to the army, he must fulfill a challenge of taking the dog Lulu to the funeral of her owner. The problem is that the dog, a Belgian shepherd, is wired at 220. Due to the hard training she had as a military career dog, she has traumas. She is scared, sometimes aggressive for no reason. So, Briggs struggles to make the journey across the country in just a few days with Lulu in tow. 'Dog' is, finally, a traditional road movie in which Jackson Briggs transforms as he advances in the environment - just like Lulu. It is beautiful to see the relationship between the two taking shape, contour and depth, even with Briggs denying the destiny of the dog: to be sacrificed after the wake of the deceased owner, largely due to her aggressive temperament. Obviously, as spectators, from the beginning we know how the story will unfold and end. There is not much secret. Tatum and Carolin, by the way, do not try to hide this: they admit the predictability and play everything on emotion and tears, hiding an unnecessary pro-militarism plot. But, despite this, it works: in the end, the tears flow, the smile appears and the uncontrollable desire to leave the cinema to hug a dog appears."