DVD: God Man Dog
A hit at London’s recent Terracotta Far East Film Festival and the winner of the Tagesspiegel Readers’ Prize at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival, the critically acclaimed GOD MAN DOG is the latest work from award winning Taiwanese writer-director Singing Chen (Bundled).
An assured and compelling ensemble piece reminiscent of other multi-narrative films such as “Short Cuts”, “Crash”, “21 Grams” and “Babel”, Chen’s film presents an absorbing and entertaining study of the modern social strata and changing customs of Taiwanese society as soon through the eyes of a wide range of characters, young and old, rich and poor.
A hand model suffering from post-natal depression becomes further estranged from her architect husband when they lose their newborn child to sudden infant death syndrome during his absence. A one-legged truck driver with a soft spot for “homeless” religious statues, stray dogs and hitchhikers strives to make enough money to buy himself a new prosthetic limb. A runaway teenager survives on the streets by entering eating competitions and selling the prizes he consistently wins. An Aboriginal couple turn to God in a bid to overcome their problems with alcohol. And an adolescent girl (the couple’s daughter) aspires to become a competitive kickboxer but instead joins her model girlfriend in a reckless, but hilarious, S&M call girl scam.
Conceived, in the words of director Singing Chen, as “a rhapsody of God, Men and Dogs”, GOD MAN DOG follows each characters’ story, highlighting the ups and downs of their lives as they intertwine before an unexpected tragedy unites the players in an uplifting climax.
Starring Taiwanese pop star Tarcy Su (Blue Cha Cha), Jack Kao (Shinjuku Incident) and Jonathan Chang (Yi Yi), GOD MAN DOG is a sophisticated drama lifted above the norm by its beautifully understated performances from its ensemble cast and exquisite cinematography by Ko-shang Shen.
GOD MAN DOG (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (£12.99) by Terracotta Distribution on 10th August 2009. Special Features include: cast interviews; behind the scenes at the Berlin International Film Festival; deleted scenes; production design featurette; CGI featurette.
