Homeless

Centered around an adorable bulldog’s turbulent fate, Homeless is a tonally pleasant, smoothly directed feel-good film with an encouraging sentiment. We follow our pup-protagonist as he goes from one living situation to another – in this way, it’s a comparative piece of sorts. The first half sees him under the ownership of a couple who seemingly find the puppy too much to handle; the second sees him being cared for more thoughtfully by a homeless man who takes on the responsibility in a way the previous owners were not able to do. Allow us to first discuss the impeccable talent on display in the technical department...

On a level of sound, cinematography and design, this movie feels as if it was constructed by a group of seasoned professionals – with each one of these elements complementing the other appropriately. Firstly, the photography is soft and lovely. It’s not doing anything bold or particularly unusual, because it doesn’t have to. Shot on anamorphic with a slick visual sensibility consisting of dolly usage, pleasantly balanced lighting, and a warm, vibrant grade – this is a decidedly handsome looking production. It’s wonderful to witness the artistry and see real attention being paid to each composition; but perhaps even more striking to one familiar with low-budget independent filmmaking is the terrific sound design elevating these images. A quaint, comforting sense can be found in the audio; a superb mix on perfectly captured on-location recording with cinematic folly and layering. You couldn't ask for too much more with regards to the formal quality.

As a filmmaker myself who has worked on projects about dogs, I can tell you that a significant part of said project’s success is dependent on the camera operator’s willingness to veer into a kind of documentary style while maintaining the fictional world’s stylistic flourishes. Homeless manages this wonderfully. The camera is to shift and flow in time with the unpredictable movements of the animal; the first AC (the focus puller) also has their work cut out for them. Working in tandem with this, the director and editor must craft a story through attaining a range of facial expressions and then crafting them around other reaction shots. It’s a big achievement all round.

Another big method of conveying story in the terms of the film’s challenging, enigmatic subject, is through music. This picture has an incredibly high-end Hollywood sounding score, arranged with outstanding musical ability – whether it was recorded in-house or otherwise. Combined with the pleasing home-design and warm subject-matter, it reminds one of Nancy Meyers’ best work (Meyers being a truly masterful director, just so there’s no ambiguity on the matter). The only problem comes when the film leans on the score a little too heavily, with whole sequences playing out over the loudly emotional sounds which make their intentions explicit when it comes to audience engagement. As nice as it is, maybe a little more restraint wouldn’t have gone amiss.

But my main structural complaint with the film is that the dog – at least for the first five minutes – does not give the audience much reason to suggest it’s misbehaving at all, just doing regular dog things which his first owners respond to as outrageous. When we then get to the scene in which he rips the house apart, there’s some more validity to the story’s trajectory; however, the couple at the beginning could have benefited from some more grounded characterisation. Despite this shortcoming, audiences will be pleased by the piece and its genial feel. It’s quite the lovely film and a most easy watch for this critic.