| Hangdog is a drama about a lost dog that is actually about a lost person trying to find himself again. Starring Desmin Borges who is best known for playing roommate Edgar in You’re the Worst, a war vet suffering from PTSD who is constantly down on himself; he’s playing the exact same type here. Walt is in a serious relationship with Wendy, but her dog gets priority and Walt has spent the better part of the relationship in a downward depressive spiral. | | 2024
Directed by: Matt Cascella
Screenplay by: Matt Cascella, Jen Cordery
Starring: Desmin Borges, Kelly O'Sullivan
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His girlfriend moved them to her hometown of Portland, Maine, and he hates it; the dog gets to sleep in between the two of them in bed, and he hates it; he’s unemployed and his only career prospects are through his girlfriend’s family at low-level jobs he would hate. Things go from bad to worse when she decides to propose while he’s in the shower, just to alleviate him from that stress. Walt already thinks so little of himself that it’s not good that his fiancée seems to think just as little of him.
This is a slow depressing drama about depression. It’s hard to get into and it literally takes until the end to become uplifting. So viewers beware and consider how much depression you can handle before diving into Walt’s downward spiral. It is however, a well written examination of personal distress. The dialogue is very good, and smart, and when we get to the final blow where something has to give, there is a whole lot of honesty going on, and we just might get to a healthy relationship in the end.
The metaphor with the lost dog is not subtle; it’s obviously about Walt’s acceptance of life every minute of the movie. The film also tries to couch Walt’s depression with a lot of humour. As Walt attempts to find the lost dog, he encounters a few idiosyncratic people along the way. Their quirks can be funny, but it’s also very obvious that their role in the movie is to help Walt accept himself for who he is.
Shot on location in Portland, Maine, the setting is its own character and gives an interesting flavour to the movie. Walt is a very high-strung, anxiety-ridden individual, while his new home is famously the opposite. It’s a small, coastal city with rocky beaches and a laid-back personality. Walt doesn’t necessarily hate the city, he hates change, and his girlfriend doesn’t know him as well as she should, helped in no small part by Walt being very closed off about himself.
Hangdog is very successful in all its themes. Personally I would like a little less depression and little more subtlety, but this is a well-written movie with a great setting and very high production values.
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