Dogman  ★★★½

The 2018/19 Perth Film Festival has featured an exceptional program.

Among my highlights have been Polish romantic drama Cold War, Norwegian survival thriller Arctic and heart-warming documentary Pick of the Litter.

Now I can add Dogman to that list.

This Italian drama is directed by Matteo Garrone who is best known for the highly-praised and high-energy 2008 Sicilian crime thriller Gomorrah.

For Dogma, Garrone has wound back the sprawling epic approach of Gomorrah to concentrate on a single character, but continues to examine his themes of alienation, responsibility and guilt.

The location for Dogma is perfect, a beach-side southern Italian suburb that was once destined for major residential and holiday development, but now left to waste following the economic downturn.

The stark reality of missed opportunity is clear in the small population remaining that clings to the edges of the crumbling buildings, managing to survive only by feeding off each others’ struggling businesses and holding onto some sense of community. The location is beautifully shot by Nicolai Bruel.

Our lead character is Marcello, a simple, hard-working and friendly man who has turned his love of dogs into a grooming salon.

Even more than dogs, Marcello adores his daughter from a failed marriage and will do anything to occasionally take her away from the desperate surroundings on an annual holiday. This includes misguidedly supplementing his income by selling drugs and stolen jewelry.

This criminal behaviour, which we find hard to understand of such a likable person, means he is always directly in the orbit of Simone, an ignorant and drug-addicted thug who dominates the entire community.

There is something in Marcello that draws him still to the diametrically-opposite Simone. Despite being bullied and assaulted by the bigger and stronger man, Marcello remains prepared to help and defend him. It’s an intriguing dynamic with a range of explanations that adjust with the narrative.

On instance proves life-changing for Marcello who goes to jail after refusing to testify against Simone.

When Marcello returns things have changed forever. He is shunned by the community and forced to reassess his relationship with Simone and deal with the consequences.

The film examines the crossroads that face us all at some time in our lives – when to take risks, when to question friendship, when to stand your ground.

It’s based on real events that occurred in the late ’80s. Even though Dogma includes some difficult and graphic violence, Garrone has said he chose to adjust the reality to make Marcello’s journey less grim and nihilistic so audiences could empathise with his character.

In doing so Garrone presents a vortex of emotions that leave the audience considering the delicate balance of life that can change in an instant.

Marcello Fonte won the Best Actor Award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and is perfectly cast as the meek dog-lover who confuses his morality in seeking to build love and friendship.

The final sequence is one you will remember as Marcello is forced to truly consider the nature of his and man’s existence.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Why does Marcello commit crimes and stand by Simone?

In my view, Marcello starts out thinking very little about the nature of the crimes he is involved in, seeing them as victim-less and the means to an honourable end – solidifying the love for his daughter.

Honour and friendship also drive his refusal to testify against Simone as well as the realisation that he, Marcello, should take responsibility for the crimes he has personally committed.

But when he returns and is shunned by the community and betrayed by Simone, he decides to fight back.

In some ways, Marcello can be seen as a Christ figure – his undying love for his daughter and compassion for all men, his allegiance to the worst of sinners, his casting out by friends, Simone’s ultimate betrayal and the figurative weight (cross) that Marcello has to bear at the end of the film for his guilt.

Of course this analogy doesn’t fully work, but that is the brutal beauty and complexity of Garrone’s film.