WINNER (x9) – 2019 ITALIAN ACADEMY AWARDS – incl. Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography & Production Design
OFFICIAL SELECTION (ITALY) – 2019 ACADEMY AWARDS
WINNER – 2018 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – Best Actor (Marcello Fonte) & Palm Dog (Joy the Chihuahua)
WINNER – 2018 EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS – Best Actor
Based on remarkable true events, the multi award-winning crime thriller from internationally-heralded writer/director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Tale of Tales) is the compelling story of a gentle family man pushed to protect what he loves.
In a dilapidated Neapolitan suburb, the pint-sized, mild-mannered Marcello (Marcello Fonte) runs the dog-grooming business of the film’s title, caring for the neighbourhood pooches, and raising his young daughter, Alida, for whom he’d do anything to spoil. But he’s domineered by one of his customers, Simone (Edoardo Pesce), a petty criminal and former boxer who throws his substantial bulk around this tight-knit community at every opportunity. Marcello soon becomes swept up in a criminal plan he wants nothing to do with…
Meticulously directed and photographed, and entirely sympathetic to its four-legged cast-members (none of whom are harmed), Garrone’s bravura urban noir is also impeccably acted, with Marcello Fonte’s extraordinary performance highly deserving of the Best Actor prizes at both Cannes and the European Film Awards. Inspired by a true story that drew national headlines, and gripping from start to finish, it’s another electrifying big-screen experience from one of Italy’s finest contemporary filmmakers.
