Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.
Dogman is a quietly devastating Italian crime drama directed by Matteo Garrone, anchored by Marcello Fonte's extraordinary, Oscar-worthy performance as the meek dog groomer ground down by a brutal bully. The plot is lean and tragic, drawing on a real Italian crime case and building dread with remarkable restraint. Garrone's cinematography is beautifully bleak, capturing the desolate suburban Roman periphery with a painterly, naturalistic eye. The film is well-crafted but operates within a familiar crime-tragedy framework — a put-upon man pushed to a breaking point — limiting its novelty score. The ending, while tonally consistent and haunting, is somewhat muted in its resolution, leaving the audience in a state of quiet devastation rather than offering anything formally surprising.