GOU ZHEN Black Dog – Réalisé par : GUAN Hu
SÉLECTION UN CERTAIN REGARD
PRIX UN CERTAIN REGARD FESTIVAL DE CANNES 2024
SYNOPSIS
Lang retourne dans sa ville natale aux portes du désert de Gobi.
Alors qu’il travaille pour la patrouille locale chargée de débarrasser la ville des chiens errants, il noue une étrange relation avec l’un d’entre eux.
Ces deux âmes solitaires embarquent alors pour un nouveau voyage ensemble…
REVIEW
One of my favorite films “Black Dog” breaks new ground with its sophisticated storyline and a revelation: actor Eddie PENG in the lead role.
Gobi Desert, wide shot. A horde of stray dogs rushes down the hill. A startled van swerves. Inside is Lang, a young man recently released from prison, returning home.
In the city, on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, Lang (Eddie Peng) returns from prison to his hometown, where he reunites with Uncle Yao (played by Jia Zhangke, who is also in the official competition at this Cannes Festival for Caught by the Tides).
People are forced to sell their homes to the government, which will relocate them. Some of the population has already left, abandoning their pets, hence the stray dogs in the plains. Thugs Lang dealt with in the past threaten him.
His ailing father works in a zoo where almost all the animals have been released due to the inability to feed them.
A “cleanup” operation for the dogs is implemented. Lang, needing money, reluctantly agrees to join.
It is at this moment that Lang and the black dog begin to bond.
Magnificent, poetic, with very few dialogues, “Black Dog” is a tribute to these neglected and forcibly relocated people who face enormous social changes.
This friendship story set in a harsh environment is a universal tale of resilience and hope.
Showing our animality
Animals—dogs, tigers, wolves—are constantly present in the film. For the director of “Black Dog,” an animal side slumbers within each of us. This animality can manifest when we need to show courage or defy authority.
“There is an ancient Chinese legend about the deity Erlang. It is in reference to this that I named my hero Lang. Erlang is often depicted with a lean, hungry dog by his side, alleviating his solitude as he traverses the heavens,” says Guan Hu.
About Guan Hu
Guan Hu is considered one of the pioneers of the sixth generation of Chinese directors.
He focuses particularly on how ordinary and simple people perceive and endure the changes in their country.
BEFORE THE SCREENING
Learn more about the Cannes Festival : Festival de Cannes
To read: Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson
