Very well executed

From my favorite movies..

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I am not a professional movie critic, by any means, but I like to think I have good taste in movies. This movie is touching in a way I didn't expect. The portrayal of grief thru disjointed sections, moving backward in time, with sudden forward movements through time so you are still wondering what time you land in is so true of the grieving process. Days seem good, where you feel like you've moved forward in your grieving process, and then, all of a sudden you have moved back half a dozen steps and you can't explain why. The thing I appreciated the most was how he never was able to feel two emotions at once. In the grieving process I experienced, I felt the same way. I couldn't be sad AND angry at the same time. I thought Matthew Goode was incredible in this movie. I had always respected him in everything I had seen him in, but NOTHING prepared me for the caliber of acting he showed. The range of emotions he portrayed as well as the numbness he showed at times were so spot on for what the grieving process feels like for most. A truly beautiful movie. Different, difficult if you are hurting, but decidedly worth watching.

People are different, as is this film. Some won't like it, others will get it almost immediately as it's designed to extract from an emotional pathway some simply don't have. Now that may sound like pretentious crap, hell! It sounds like pretentious crap to me & I'm writing it. Nevertheless, I stick by it.Having lost a partner (girlfriend / road accident) I come from a place of experience when discussing life cut-short. Nevertheless, I would never claim to know anything, as each individual case is different, albeit similar.The film manages to beautifully weave the chaos of this kind of loss into a functioning narrative, which is damn near impossible. Sitting watching it I got that deep sense of unease, the visceral coil round the oesophagus which is/was my physical reaction to emotional distress. My point being, the film does its job. I found it both difficult & perversely soothing.The human mind is incredibly complex. Our emotions are tied to reality with thin thread & we adapt to almost any distress.

At the opening of the movie I was unsure of what was happening this did lead to some confusion as to what this movie was really about, but hang in there as half way through the movie things start to get put into place and the jigsaw comes together, like the above reviewer some sex scenes were not warranted but the intimacy between both Matthew and Bojana (as husband and wife) were what brought this movie together.The sadness of what happens to the family left behind and how they struggle through grief and loss is heartbreaking, the hospital scenes which were portrayed in a dignifying and honest way are the sad reality of what really does happen to somebody who is terminally ill.This move in my view is better than my sisters keeper and shows what real Australian Talent is about I recommend it to everyone - but warning bring an open mind and plenty of tissues.

Red Dog had a good run at Cinemas all around Australia. Fine family movie. Eye of the storm , at selected Cinemas. Aimed at older folk. Burning Man, had to go to Sydney to see this one. Going on the age of the main characters, I am presuming that it aimed at the 30 plus age group. So I am in this group. But I must admit that it was Bojana Novakovic that attracted me to the film. And my wife likes Matthew Goode, so we were both looking forward to it. But right from the opening scenes, it was like watching another ABC mini-series. Male masturbation scenes seem to be flavour of the month, replacing the obligatory Urinal scene.I guess it is a buzz for the ladies, but Red Dog managed to get by without one. The whole storyline is just so negative. There was nothing pleasant about this movie. We left the theater lamenting on what could have been. Especially with such an excellent Australian lineup (and Kerry). And I was not looking forward to the 150 klm trip home.