This review was made possible by an advanced screener of Black Dog provided by BFI London Film Festival.
In Black Dog, two teenage boys, Nathan (Jamie Flatters) and Sam (Keenan Munn-Francis), from very different London backgrounds, embark on a road trip north together. As they start to open up about their pasts, the boys learn they have far more in common than they first thought. The film is written by Jamie Flatters and George Jacques, with Jacques also directing.
With no knowledge of the film going into my watch, only a brief synopsis – I was completely blind going in. I was incredibly interested in watching, thanks to Flatters’ involvement, having followed his career since his beginnings on CBBC’s So Random. As for the film, I did enjoy it. The main chemistry between the two protagonists is easily the highlight in the heartwarming tale of two boys looking to overcome their two very different griefs.
Two Compelling Lead Performances
Jamie Flatters takes on a completely different role compared to his last in The School of Good and Evil and Avatar: The Way of Water, where he played both Tedros and Neteyam, respectively. This time around, Flatters is both acting and writing (of which he shares the duty with director George Jacques). Nathan, who we see leaving his foster care home as he turns 18, soon departs on a cross-country journey – in hopes of reuniting with his sister. Flatters’ performance perfectly captures the essence of a teenager desperate to navigate the threshold as he transitions from his teenage years into adulthood. Having Nathan coming from a background in care allows Flatters to inject even more depth into his character performance, which he does sufficiently.
On the same journey, but following a different path, is Keenan Munn-Francis as Sam who provides a much more emotive portrayal of his character. A young man succumbs to a heavy weight of grief as he spends a good duration of the film keeping his struggles to himself, building up to an excruciating moment when all breaks loose. Munn-Francis masterfully brings Jaques and Flatters’ script to life, skillfully portraying the moving essence of Sam’s heartbreak in the most poignant and compelling manner. Easily the strongest performance in this film.
‘Black Dog’ and Its Depiction Of Grief
The film’s biggest praise goes to its well-portrayed manner of grief. Grief is such a universal human experience, and Jacques and Flatters’ writing doesn’t beat around the bush but deals with it in such a serious matter. When it is depicted as well as it is in Black Dog, it allows viewers who have faced different means of grief to see themself within the media they’re consuming. Whilst I haven’t experienced the level of grief on display in the film, I still became incredibly emotional to see a young man, incredibly similar to my age, struggling with how his life is going, and I felt seen for just a short moment.
Whilst the film has its fair share of emotional scenes, there are plenty of light-hearted and fun moments too; this is a coming-of-age road trip film, after all. From a trip to a hotel off the motorway, jumping in the pool, and tricking each other into doing a runner and bunking off paying – a lot of the fun scenes counter the deep, emotional settings of others, creating this completely nuanced experience.
Modern Depictions Of Younger Generations
Crafting scripts, especially when writing on behalf of young people, is always a difficult front. You can have writers who are completely out of touch with today’s younger generations, producing some overly enthusiastic stereotypes – and that has the potential to completely throw the feel and end product of a film. In this instance, Flatters is on hand for co-writing duties, and I think the script benefits greatly from capturing the young essence of life these two young men have.
There is nothing worse than watching a young character throwing around 5-year-old slang like “Swag” and “Sick Fam”, so Black Dog didn’t disappoint me on that front and managed to steer clear of any silly dialogue. I would love to know which of the pair was responsible for the film’s best piece of dialogue – “Your mum’s a prostitute”, accounting for some of the funniest road rage I’ve seen on screen for quite some time.
‘Black Dog’ – Final Thoughts
Black Dog ends up unfolding as an incredibly compassionate coming-of-age road trip film that was a joy to witness. Bolstered by two compelling performances and a commendable debut in writing from Flatters and Jaques, the film marks a promising start. Eagerly anticipating the future trajectories of all involved, the movie adeptly explores grief and its impact on the younger generation – an important narrative that merits increased awareness across all forms of media.
Fancy reading something else? Why not check out my last review from London Film Festival: The Book of Clarence Review
The Review
Black Dog
Black Dog ends up unfolding as an incredibly compassionate coming-of-age road trip film that was a joy to witness. Bolstered by two compelling performances and a commendable debut in writing from Flatters and Jaques, the film marks a promising start. Eagerly anticipating the future trajectories of all involved, the movie adeptly explores grief and its impact on the younger generation - an important narrative that merits increased awareness across all forms of media.
