Greetings again from the darkness. Dog people vs cat people. There have been scientific studies on the personality of those who fall on one side or the other. Surprisingly, this dog lover agreed to review a cat movie ... an agreement based on the assurance that all relevant cats would be on screen and not in my lap. Australian director Sarah Jayne Portelli opens with some spectacular aerial shots of Malta, an island (archipelago) in the Mediterranean Sea dating back to 5900 B. C. She gives us a brief overview of its history, and then discloses that she lived on Malta for four years and was intrigued by the cats.
She informs us that Malta has a population of 450,000 people and approximately 100,000 stray cats. The director uses a vignette approach over the 58-minute runtime to introduce us to various citizens who share their personal cat stories. We hear the tale of a woman who rescued an injured cat that ultimately had a leg amputated. The three-legged cat still roams the streets, though it hasn't forgiven the woman for messing up the medications. We are told that cats will sit patiently at the door of a café staring non-stop at a particular diner who is expected to provide table scraps upon finishing. A newly constructed Hilton property forced the relocation of a long-time cat village, and we meet the artist chosen to renovate the massive cat statue atop a building along the shore. Bob the large ginger street cat is shown, as is Isaac, a local boy who started feeding the cats when he was eleven years old.
All of these cats (at least the ones in the film) have been given names and are part of the community. The cats have individual personalities and quirks ... some are more comfortable with humans than others; something that's often dependent on whether early abuse or hardship was overcome. A case is made for the government to get involved with animal NGO's and providing food, which most of the volunteer feeders pay for themselves at this time. There is simply no denying the fascinating cat culture of Malta, and the three benefits: tourism, joy to locals, and mental health therapy. Even this dog person must begrudgingly agree.
On Digital beginning October 3, 2023.
