☆ ☆ ☆
Barking
Dogs Never Bite (2000) – J.-H. Bong
The directorial debut from Joon-Ho Bong
(Snowpiercer, The Host) is a quirky comedy of sorts about a grad student under
pressure who loses it over a neighbour’s barking dog. A nerdy office worker gets involved in the
search for the lost dog(s) and the film follows his story and hers. There are some eccentric characters and odd
moments (yes, they do eat dogs in Korea, apparently) but the whole thing seems
designed primarily to demonstrate Bong’s flair as a director. So, this feels a bit like an audacious
show-reel at times and one wonders whether anyone would be interested in this
kind of plot otherwise. And, yes,
apparently the film did bomb financially at home. Nevertheless, it allowed Bong to graduate to
better things (Memories of Murder, Mother) en route to his Hollywood
blockbuster success. So, there are some
interesting moments here but this is probably only for the curious.
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