DOGMAN
A brutish hooligan terrorizing his dilapidated Italian hometown drags a gentle dog groomer into the violent turmoil, leading to an ultimate fight for bloody vengeance.
Directed by Matteo Garrone (GOMORRAH, TALE OF TALES), this taut, gripping drama follows Marcello (Marcello Fonte) as he navigates his complex friendship with former boxer Simone (Edoardo Pesce). When Marcello isn’t lovingly tending to his canine clients, he is doing what he can to appease Simone’s ravenous cocaine addiction, willingly dealing to him at first and later without choice. Marcello struggles to keep the explosive Simone at bay, which becomes especially troubling when his young daughter is visiting. Simone, whose violence is unpredictable and unmanageable, manipulates Marcello into helping facilitate his various crimes around the neighborhood, which Marcello does begrudgingly in hopes of earning clout and some extra money. Will Marcello band together with his fellow antagonized neighbors against Simone or will he cave in to Simone’s outrageous and vicious demands? When things go too far, Marcello must figure out a way to keep himself and his daughter safe and restore his dignity. Fonte’s performance, which won him the award for best actor at Cannes this year, is at once understated and utterly spellbinding. It’s hard to look away from this intense, compelling tragedy that was inspired by a true story.
CAST: Marcello Fonte, Edoardo Pesce
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