Review of Baxter (1989) by Cu C — 03 Jan 2010

I first saw this film when it was released to the US at the time of a wave of talking dog family movies. I knew this wasn't a kids film but I was expecting a light comedy where the dog makes sarcastic remarks about human foibles (those humans are SOOOO crazy).

Well, I was wrong. This is a mean dog. As we watch the film we are constantly in fear of what the dog will do but completely sympathetic to his plight. But the film is even deeper, paralleling Baxter with a lonely boy that eventually becomes his keeper.

The film makes a strong argument that the abuse and neglect heaped on any creature will eventually turn against those neglecting it and we all pay the consequences. In this way the film is a metaphor for the rise of Nazzism in Germany and simultaneously predicted the Columbine tragedy (and other similar attacks that followed).

I have to say that I was completely emotionally moved by the journey of the dog. I warn you, though, that this is rough going. This is not for family viewing and not for anyone who is overly sensitive to the abuse of animals.