18 year old Nathan's (Jamie Flatters) a bit of a ruffian, always getting into scrapes - which shouldn't surprise very much, given he has grown up in an orphanage and has never known parental love, plus he had been separated from his sister, the only person he cared for, at age 10. That doesn't mean though that Nathan hasn't got a heart of gold, the most obvious when he sees a trio of bullies holding up posh boy Sam (Keenan Munn-Francis) and comes to his rescue, without even knowing Sam. Of course, at first Nathan nicks Sam's wallet which he finds lying on the floor, but the next day, when he has escaped from the orphanage with a diffuse plan to bugger off to Scotland and find his sister, he stops by Sam's (the address he found in the wallet), he returns it. Sam is touched by this, so he offers him a lift as far as Newcastle - pretty much at the Scottish border - as he has business there on his mother's account. Nathan gladly accepts, but it sure becomes apparent that the two don't have all that much in common: Where Nathan's a bit too laid back, Sam's a bit too stuck up, which also has to do with their totally different backgrounds and life stories. And so, arguments are pretty much a given. But on their journey (and with the help of alcohol) Nathan teaches Sam to get out of his shell a bit while Sam lets Nathan know he isn't necessarily alone in this world if he doesn't want to be. That said though, Sam has a secret that will put everything they've gone through in a different perspective ...

A rather touching coming-of-age story rolled into the framework of a road movie, one that zeroes in on its two leads well fleshed out characters and gives them arcs that in combination make the backbone of the film's story that's really more a mental than a physical trip. But it's also a very relatable story even if one can't claim having made similar experiences basically because the story's well told, doesn't exaggerate and features comedic elements next to tragic ones and the mundane next to the special. And a directorial effort that gives the film's leads sufficient space to breathe and two very solid central performances hel make this a really nice cinematic journey.

Black Dog will be available from Apple and Amazon August 19th, 2024.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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