Watching The Dog Days is like catching up with old friends on a hot summer afternoon.
When the nostalgia of the innocent years is blended into a cup of iced coffee, soft breezes slow down the time, and all that’s left is the laughter from children chasing dogs. The formalities dilute the melancholy atmosphere brought by changes, and the bittersweet taste of coffee refreshes tired minds. Yet, as the chirpings of cicadas die down and the sun starts setting, the hustling sounds of reality would eventually gather.
And then it’s time to leave.
It’s hard to summarize the tone of this film in just one word—it is a beautifully merged blend of colorful emotions. For a story about “ending things,” a dreamy affair coupled with an unhappy marriage, it is tinted with a golden filter of joyful, childish innocence. The fluttering fuchsia-colored scarf on the child brightens up the overall mood, and the golden sunshine threading through fences creates a delusion that the story is a lovely fairy tale. Yet, in this movie, the most helpless outcome is spoken with the softest voice, and tender touches accompany the harshest decision.
What’s also worth noting is that the film has been characterized by upbeat, dynamic motions from the very beginning: POV shots from inside the car prepare us for an unknown fate, driving us toward an afternoon of carefree happiness. A series of playing scenes presented by a combination of rotating cameras, tracking shots, and fast cutting significantly boosts the visual delight. Therefore, it is much too easy for viewers to enjoy the present moment of easy, pure joy until gray shades pull us back to real-life struggles – resonance with the character is thus achieved so effortlessly. Obviously, The Dog Days filmmaker Ryan Kurt Whiting is gifted with using motions as language so that the transition from enjoying “staying in the innocent present” to the sentimental sighs of “the fleeting time” can be demonstrated through only a few slow-motion shots without any lines spoken.
Looking back, I was pretty surprised at how much information was hidden in such a short piece and how neatly it was delivered through very few lines. Still, with the lack of words, the film allows plenty of space for interpretations from multiple perspectives: it involves discussion on the passing of time and the relationship between youth and passion. It triggers us to question if “coming of age” means eventually gaining a complicated, “more mature” mindset and casting aside personal happiness or whether the wrinkling of the skin is necessarily associated with the wrinkling of the heart.
However, from my first introduction to the many times I watched it, I have been puzzled by the title: The Dog Days. And it was only almost until this last week of August, when cardigans began reemerging among T-shirts and grocery stores were restocking their pumpkin spice latte, that I came up with my answer.
The Dog Days are the last thirty seconds in the boxing rings when the boxers are using up all their strength to give the last shine. They are unforgettable moments glorified by the knowing that all is merely temporary, the show's climax before calmness and reason return. They are stunning views accompanied by the upcoming chilly autumn breeze. What the dog days are to Summer is similar to what Steven is to Leah, yet I cannot say if either of them is only a lovely fantasy—after all, the dog days are both an end and a beginning.
The Dog Days screens as part of the Shorts Program at the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, September 13. The film will be Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.
The 43rd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between September 6-October 18, 2024. The Festival will be a hybrid one as it will be presented online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, acclaimed electronic music artist Jim Haynes will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, October 18 at 7PM! The in-person screenings and the Jim Haynes Concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. General Admission Jim Haynes Concert Ticket=$25. To buy tickets go here: https://watch.eventive.org/newjerseyfilmfestivalfall2024
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