Puppy

Nadia Townsend, Bernard Curry, Susan Ellis

Dir. Kieran Galvin
Scr. Kieran Galvin

This film is advertised as a Darkly Funny Romantic Thriller. With the tagline “He’s taking her home. Unconscious. Big Mistake.” And it’s Australian. So I don’t know quite what I was expecting – probably something quite odd and uncomfortable to watch. But what I got was a surprising little gem of a movie, certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but strangely scary and compelling and funny and, yes, a little romantic.

Puppy really only has two characters: Liz, a troubled but canny young woman; and Aiden, an even more troubled and mildly dangerous young man. Liz, after being chucked out of her sister’s flat for stealing her jewellery, tries her hand at suicide. Aiden finds her passed out in a car, filled with exhaust fumes, and takes her back to his home which is, of course, miles from nowhere. And the fun begins. Well, actually, not so fun for Liz who is tied up by a man who is convinced she is the wife who walked out on him. Aiden is not a particularly sane man but Liz, being the canny girl that she is, finds that she might be able to get the upper hand in this bizarre and blooming relationship.

There are times when I thought the movie was really going to take a turn for the worst. I suspected that I was going to have to cover my eyes, a lot. And there are certainly some slightly dodgy and uncomfortable moments. Aiden, after all, is highly delusional and owns two large Rottweilers who succeed in making sure Liz does not leave his house. But writer/director Kieran Galvin doesn’t take the easy route of making this into an extreme and violent film. Instead, Liz sees opportunity in her situation. And, by the end, your heart is actually warmed by a tale of love found in the wrong place.

Townsend and Curry are excellent as the two leads. They are completely new faces to me (apparently famous in Australia; Curry has been on Neighbours) and I was impressed by their performances. The supporting cast is a little less strong – I was especially annoyed by Ellis who has, mercifully, a small role. The script is strong – dark, clever, laugh-out-loud funny. It feels a little like a play at times, but this may be due to the small number of characters and locations.

I was impressed by this film. I would put it into the same category as 2002’s Secretary, which I know many people found strange and disturbing. But if you have an open mind and a dark funny bone, you will probably like Puppy. It’s refreshingly different without being unwatchable. Recommended.