Dir. Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Koyu Rankin, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe
(PG, 1 hr 41mins)
Wes Anderson’s symmetrical, harmonic and soft-spoken deadpan emotional maturity returns in his second animated feature. Set in the Japanese archipelago, ruled over by the Kobayashi clan, the public is coerced into anti-dog discrimination when ‘snout-flu’ breaks out, rendering all dogs as a potential biological threat. The nearby “trash-island” becomes the new home for all canines including the Mayor’s own ward’s dog, Spots. In a wild, desperate attempt to find his dog, the Mayor’s ward, Atari, travels to trash island to find his canine companion.
Superficially this is Anderson’s most commercial film to date, full of sweet characters, charming visuals and simple messages. For a lack of nuance, this is a “whole family can enjoy” kind of picture. Ironically, this is also Anderson’s most innovative picture in years, he truly uses the breadth of his catalogue of camera direction and mise-en-scene control. But then furthers on this, adapting his style and growing for the better.
In typical fashion, his control of the audience’s eyes and scene dynamics and staging is remarkable. Even in a landscape that is by nature messy, Anderson challenges himself in his location settings to incorporate his symmetrical detail orientation focus. Additionally, the animation style, befitting his auteur sensibility, is just as artificially matter of fact and touchingly real as his characters. The aesthetic is one of a coarse authenticity and it plays into personalities seamlessly. However, as characters the supporting cast of the ‘hero pack’ of dogs feel lacklustre and frankly empty.
This is unusual for Anderson, as even demonstrated in this picture but notably in his other work, where even the smallest of parts seem so interestingly characterised that you can’t help but find them enthralling. Here, however, outside of Chief and Rex, the pack feels wasted and absent. Equally the supposed side-plot in the movie – Greta Gerwig’s political activist, clearly tailored towards the grown-ups – is largely unimpactful, its ultimate goal is achieved without it and does little more than add flavourful dialogue.
This hit-and-miss nature is also present in Isle Of Dogs’ humour: when it works it’s terrifically enjoyable and even adds a twinge of bleak humour at times (which is certainly bold for a film aimed at younger audiences) but, when too askew, is painfully noticeable. Despite this, Isle Of Dogs is, for the most part, expectedly charming. The soundtrack is intoxicating and adds to the impression that this movie is unlike anything that has come before it outside of Anderson’s work. To which end this could be dubbed a stronger, more touching and engaging Fantastic Mr. Fox.
There has been debate over whether this film is culturally appropriative, and there is certainly a case to be made, with several tourist-fuelled impressions of Japan and the nation painted with a broad brush. There is, too, a directional choice to barely ever translate the Japanese characters: they speak their common tongue, the dogs English. This can create an idea of demonization to the Japanese characters – they are, largely, the villains – but in Isle Of Dogs, this is clearly to lend sympathy and connection to the canine characters rather than our humankind. While it’s commonplace for Anderson to use broad strokes when creating characters of other cultures, Westerners are subject to comparable scrutiny.
Which is why Isle Of Dogs bears no malice: a purely innocent love letter to canine and Japanese culture alike. Padded with simple yet touching observations and insight into sweeping messages of loyalty, companionship and political warning, this is an imaginative adventure with our favourite furry friends.
words JAKE YOUNG