El perro

A mild-mannered middle-aged man who has lost his job as a mechanic struggles to make ends meet while living with his daughter's family. After he helps out a woman whose car has broken down, he receives as a gift a pedigree dog. Through a chance meeting, he winds up being drawn into the less than perfect world of dog shows and breeding. Villegas, the main character, seems an innocent in this world, and his trusting nature and desire to make a better life for himself make him the victim of an unscrupulous trainer. But it is his kindness and his affection for the dog that shine through all the adversity. The film's greatest attributes are the minimalist performances by the entire cast and the simple telling of the story. Heartwarming and human.

I wasn't expecting a lot form this movie when I first bought the ticket. However the story of the mechanic whose life changed after owning a very special breed of dog turned out to be rather interesting one. The main character Coco needs to be commended for his astonishing work. His facial expressions in almost every single shot carried out some aspect of his character's naive nature. Even though the story doesn't end with a very striking ending, it can't be considered as a slowly paced one. The shot with the machines and Coco's car, where Coco is riding in the fields of the factory is a very good one indeed. Other than that, the technical aspects such as the color and the sound add a lot to the movie's close to real atmosphere.

This is the story of a man and his dog, a story acted out on two backdrops: One is the depressing socio-economic situation of Argentina, where jobs are few and far between and life becomes an eternal quest for a few pesos, a job, dignity. The other backdrop is the harsh but grand nature of Patagonia, windswept vistas, arid land, cold air and a strong sun beating down on the expansive landscape.

Coco is looking for a job and a living. He's single, 55'ish and staying at his daughter's place, trying to not be in the way, and trying to help out, but unable to aid the family economically. He is a good man, willing to work but not to be unjust in his dealings with other unfortunate people.

One day he selflessly helps a woman stranded on a deserted road with a broken-down car. As a thank you he is offered the huge dog of her deceased father: He accepts it, little knowing how it will change his life.

The basic premise of this movie is that if you're a good person, you will be rewarded. Knowing that reality in a country like Argentina is very far from this, we - as spectators - always fear that Coco will be cheated by somebody.

The movie progresses at a slow, deliberate pace, reflecting the immobility of Patagonian life. More than a story, because there is actually not much of a story told, it gives us an ambiance, a feeling for the life of people in these southern regions of Argentina. It is a beautiful anthropological document, even more so because the protagonists are completely believable, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that they aren't even played by professional actors.

Recommended as a sweet, small movie for a quiet evening.

In the times of McHollywood and all the crap, it is good to know that we still have this kind of movies.

Time is what Juan, the lead actor in the movie, has the most and he uses that time to desperately find a steadier job and occasionally sells hand made knives nobody can afford. The simplicity of "Bombon, el perro" will captivate you. While following the lead actor during his search fornew life opportunities the film never misses an occasion to show thesocial situation in the country, Argentina, with both seriousness and humor.

The main actor gives us a savagely good performance in this film. His body language and mimic, his talk, a great pleasure!

what a lovely, lovely film.

bleak and beautiful, desperate and hopeful.

i personally have a real problem watching movies that have dogs as main characters... my empathy is totally with the dog - i can rarely care less what happens to the people as long as nothing bad happens to the dog. quite a turn up then when i find myself desperately rooting for coco, bombom's new owner, lost in his new world of dog showing, naive and ripe for the picking...

brilliant movie, go see it, go buy it. don't wait for the nicholson and hooch Hollywood remake!