Isle of Dogs
Dir: Wes Anderson
2018
*****
Fans of Wes Anderson will be thrilled with Isle of Dogs - everyone else will no doubt be surprised and somewhat perplexed but hopefully as thrilled. I actually wasn't that taken with Anderson's take on Roald Dahl's classic Fantastic Mr. Fox, it was the best kid's animated film that had been made in ages but I didn't feel it was quite Wes Anderson enough. Isle of Dogs is quite the opposite. I watched the film on the day it was released, the day after all schools had closed for the Easter holidays. My wife and I sat among parents and kids, all equally excited it seemed to see the 'dog film' with all the famous voices. I didn't know the story before I watched but as I was queuing for my popcorn I did wonder whether this was going to be the most pleasant of screenings. It certainly looks like a kids film but it really isn't one. However, the kids in my cinema sat there in complete quiet. Granted they should have laughed at certain moments but I think their silence was a sign that they were engrossed in something they had never seen before. I looked around, they were stunned. It was the parents who were the problem. They had clearly not checked out the film before taking the kids to it and all sounded fairly outraged, even though it was probably the first time their kids had sat still for 90 minutes their entire lives. The guy next to me, who clearly had his daughter for one weekend of every month, kept openly yawning, like he desperately needed the rest of the cinema to know he wasn't enjoying it. His daughter looked embarrassed and angry, as she was clearly fascinated with this new film that was nothing like anything she'd seen before. She scolded him once the film had ended, his excuse being that he didn't know what Japan had to do with Dogs, like that even made sense. I like to think that the majority of the kids in that cinema went home enlightened and curious, I know that if I had seen this as a youngster, I would have been utterly confused, on cloud nine and hungry for more. To be fair, I'm two of those things now. This is one of Wes Anderson's best films yet. When he announced the film back in 2015 he said that he was making a movie about dogs that would be inspired by Akira Kurosawa and in the style of Rankin/Bass animations, but I don't think I ever expected it to be so literal. It is a stunning piece of work with every single frame as perfect as the last. The composition is sublime and timing and script are pure Anderson - Anderson at his very best. It's amazing how a director with such a distinct style in live-action films can translate said style into animation almost seamlessly. Anderson has always been able to put a good cast together but this might be his best so far, as the cast includes; Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Fisher Stevens, Harvey Keital, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, Frank Wood and Yoko Ono, and they all do a great job. Having the film set in a sort of 1950s Communist Japan was quite clever but the overall message was clear and rather timely. The fear and hatred of immigration in the world today makes it a scary place, the moment in the film when they ask 'How can we turn our backs on man's best friend' is incredibly poignant, I just hope it isn't lost in all of the wonder of the visuals. It is more than likely lost on he guy who was sitting next to me but I do hope his daughter was confused and fascinated enough to re-visit the film at some point and questions the film's meaning. Some people will always shun that what is different or challenging. The silence I heard from the youth in the cinema actually made my heart swell, I know kids will watch anything but at the same time they also get distracted and won't sit through something they aren't interested in. Every single child in that cinema watched the film in complete open-mouthed silence and I sensed that a new group of cinephiles was born. Happy day. The film is faultless and is one of the most original stories ever to grace the big screen. To be fair many Londoners may be confused by the title as there is an area of London called the Isle of Dogs and I have slight disappointment that the film wasn't set there, but overall I think not only is it one of the best films of 2018 but it is also one of the best films of the decade. A future classic.