Stray Dog

Beto Brant has been mentioned as one of the greatest talents in Brazilian cinema. In Stray Dog he has made a scrutinising love drama between two young and poetic people, and a study of a friendship between a young man and an aging artist. In Porto Alegro, Ciro is an out-of-work man who leads a quiet life in a simple apartment, together with a stray dog he has taken in from the streets. After having recently finished studying literature, he survives on parental support and by working as a translator of Russian now and then. When he meets Marcela, a young model with an acting talent who dreams about going to Europe, they fall heavily for each other. They live out an intense relationship together but when Marcela leaves the country on an assignment, Ciro breaks down. He undergoes an existential crisis, marked by a lack of direction and ambition. Stray Dog is a character-driven chamber piece touching upon familiar urban issues but still seems refreshingly thought out. Its strengths are the actors’ ability to carry the action and the director’s ability of getting close to the actors and to create an intimacy between characters and audience. Stray Dog is based on a novel by Daniel Galeria and represents a look at a new and modern Brazil. jo