Movie review - "Red Dog" (2011) ***** (warning: spoilers)

Why can't we make more Aussie films like this - plenty of good photography and stunning landscapes but few have this good a heart, egalitarian ethos and warmth. It's not perfect - I wasn't wild about the framing device, which occasionally went for gag over truth - and it didn't seem right they were all having this party remembering the dog when the dog wasn't even dead and in fact was dying in the next room (when he walks away at the end he might be just wanting to get some peace and quiet). And Rachel Taylor hooking up with Luke Ford in this felt like it slightly cheapened her feelings for Josh Lucas (I know a deal of time had passed in "film time" but watching it seemed too quick.)

Also it could have done with a touch more sense of community - it's all there, just sometimes it felt "pasted on" as opposed to organic. But there's nothing quite like a dog devoted to his master, waiting a la Greyfriars Bobby then searching all over the country to find him - and collapsing on his grave. A dog outliving his master- it's just not right. It's a pleasant change to see a film that's pro-union, pro-friendship, pro-dog. Very old school Aussie (which means that ethnics are okay as long as they're comic).