DOGS DON’T WEAR PANTS
Black comedy, body horror, and tender drama merge in this twisted and deeply moving story of the complex relationship between a dominatrix and her grieving client.
In the opening moments of Dogs Don’t Wear Pants, heart surgeon Juha (Pekka Strang) is left reeling by the tragic death of his wife. Ten years later, Juha still hasn’t completely processed the loss, hampering his chance of finding romantic connection again and straining his relationship with his headstrong preteen daughter, Elli (Ilona Huhta). Juha finds an unlikely outlet for his pent-up anguish when he stumbles into the workplace of dominatrix Mona (Krista Kosonen). The seemingly prudish widower is soon leaning heavily into his latent masochistic tendencies, seeking emotional catharsis from Mona in more and more self-destructive ways. Something about the doctor’s desperation both touches and disturbs Mona, and their relationship drifts into increasingly peculiar territory. As one might expect from a film set largely within a dominatrix dungeon, Dogs Don’t Wear Pants is replete with S&M kink and deeply uncomfortable physical debasement; but it’s the unexpected humor and genuine compassion with which director Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää explores his characters’ grief and longing for human connection that truly sets this unclassifiable film apart.
CAST: PEKKA STRANG, KRISTA KOSONEN, ESTER GEISLEROVÁ, ILONA HUHTA
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