Good Boy
By Kit Macdonald
"One of the most emotive actors of his generation," runs one prominent quote surrounding Good Boy, featuring Stephen Graham, perhaps the living embodiment of brilliant, emotive acting. But wait! There's more! "... regardless of species", the quote concludes, for we are talking not of the wonderful Mr Graham, but of Indy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever star of Good Boy, and director Ben Leonberg's real-life dog, from whose perspective the film is almost entirely told.
This is Leonberg's debut feature, and it was shot over the course of three years, with the chilling narrative built around Indy's real-life schedule and behaviour, with shots captured as they happened naturally. An atmospheric, slow-burn (despite its relatively short running time) treat, Good Boy makes full use of Indy's perspective to build a very special sort of dread. If the Academy isn't scrambling to introduce a canine award (a Dogscar?) for Indy's efforts, they're missing a trick