I feel like this short might be trying to accomplish a bit too much for its short runtime, but it does do a nice job of getting us into the head of its main character, beautifully played by Joel Fry. While I’m still deciding how I feel about the short as a whole, it’s another excellent performance from him.
Trevor is a gentle young man working as an animal warden. He has a particular affinity with dogs, who he relates to better than people. When he brings in a German shepherd accused of biting a child, he’s convinced that this dog is innocent and sets out to find the real culprit behind the attack. But Trevor’s search is increasingly disrupted by disturbing memories and ominous signs that seem to be warning him of something.
As I said, I think the story here might be a little too big for the format. We start out with a kind oddball trying to exonerate a dog, dive into his fraught childhood, and wind up with something that almost feels more like a PSA in its final shots. Although I did genuinely like a lot of it, I’m not sure it all fits together.
But issues aside, Joel Fry is wonderful as Trevor. He reminds me a little of OJ from Nope in that he’s uncomfortable around people but clearly in his element around animals. When he’s called in to deal with the German shepherd, he softly tells the caller, “You have to move away, and close the door,” then places his full attention on the dog. Trevor is very attuned to what the dog needs from him in this moment: his movements are slow and gentle, he keeps his eyes averted, and as he gradually brings himself down to lie on the ground, the dog calms himself with him. And for all that the newspaper shouts about Trevor capturing a “wild dog,” we later see him happily sitting in the German shepherd’s pen, with the dog whining in delight as Trevor plays with him.
Trevor is great with animals, not so great with people. Despite his boss’s reminder that their main job is “to protect the public,” he’s 100% Team Dog here. When his boss intimates that the kid’s parents want the German shepherd put down, Trevor responds, “No, there’s no way that dog bit that kid, not unless he was torturing him.” He’s perpetually soft-spoken and can come across to others as timid or weak, but he speaks up for the German shepherd immediately, urging his boss to give him a chance to find the wild dog who actually bit the child. Later in the short, when his boss warns that his time is running out, Trevor begs for one more night to search, and his “please” is at a barely audible whisper.
Fry does a nice job with the more personal aspects of the story too, showing us how Trevor deals with the unsettling things creeping into his mind. We see his confusion, fear, and frustration, anxious to outrun the thoughts that are hounding him.
Accent Watch
London.
Recommend?
In General – Maybe. Even if I’m not sure that it fully sticks the landing, it’s an interesting short that captures the feelings it’s trying to evoke very well.
Joel Fry – I would. Trevor is a sweet, gentle character, and Fry plays him with such sensitivity.
Warnings
Strong thematic elements (including allusions to child abuse,) animal peril, language, and disturbing images.
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