The Icarus Films September 26, 2017 DVD release of the 2014 Bullfrog Films documentary "Stay Dogs" is the latest proof that the the partnership of these companies is a match made in Heaven. This cinema verite portrait of the titular Missouri Vietnam vet/trailer park owner/biker/step father to twin Mexican teen boys shows that you cannot judge a scruffy tattooed book by its cover.
The accolades for writer/director Debra Granik of the similar themed Oscar-nominated fictional film "Winter's Bone" include a plethora of festival awards. Highlights are Best Documentary wins at the Los Angeles, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Memphis Film Festivals.
The following YouTube clip of a theatrical trailer for "Dog" does a good job creating a portrait of the subject in roughly two minutes.
Granik chooses wisely in selecting Ronnie "Stray Dog" Hall as a guide to the modern rural South. His beard, tattoos, big belly, and overall dirty appearance fit right in with his world of bikers and trailer park residents. The surprise comes when you learn that this lover of small dogs and children alike is very sensitive and caring.
This makes a good subject because the South is part of the country known as the "fly over" region for a good reason. Most of us on both coasts know little about the people who inhabit the real America where there is not a Starbucks on every corner and the sources of aggravation extend far beyond gridlock and not having a strong cell signal.
On the Vietnam side, we see Hall regularly attend ceremonies for POW and MIA soldiers from that war. He also shows understanding for those of us who do not understand what those guys experienced over there. His largest show of support involves participating in the annual motorcycle pilgrimage to the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C.
We further see Hall as a good friend to folks who include a buddy undergoing extensive dental care after ignoring his teeth for years; this compassion extends to a teen granddaughter, who is experiencing the dual challenges of being a Millennial and lacking a good education.
These aspects of the life of Hall provide the aforementioned interesting perspective of lower-class rural America; however, Hall having Mexican wife Alicia after several years of living alone with his small dogs is the most fascinating aspect of the film. These worlds fully collide on Alicia gently but firmly urging Hall to shampoo his beard and he being just as adamant about going no further than rinsing it out with water.
The love of Hall for his wife comes through very strong in scenes of him learning Spanish online. Her twin sons Jesus and Angel later using the same technique to learn English provides a nice sense of reciprocity.
Speaking of the sons, the cutest and funniest scene of "Dog" involves these adorable boys using a Spanish-English dictionary to look up a word that Hall regularly uses only to have the translation confuses them. A spoiler is that Hall is not referring to a small domesticated feline.
The boys telling the folks back home that America is not nearly as nice as Mexico offers another interesting perspective.
Granik provides satisfying closure in ending the film with a scene that reflects every aspect of the life of Hall and that of the rural South generally.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Dog" is encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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