Adam Banks
(editor: The full short is now a Seed & Spark exclusive)
On first impression, Make Like a Dog lays out a scene of picturesque, mid-century domesticity: a wife vacuums the carpet, but an empty crib blocks her path. A husband in a sweater vest sleeps peacefully in his living room. A collie named “Cassie” barks through the television. Then the screaming starts and the couple act like dogs (literally). By shattering the illusion of marital bliss, director Marshall Allman is able to tell a more interesting story, a profoundly strange examination of a couple trying their best to ignore the stifling effects of impotence, and coming through it as a better, more confident pair. Based on Jerome Kass’s one act play of the same name, the film uses stronger, stage-like acting, gorgeous production design, and inventive filmmaking, to create a compelling, and at times hilarious short about the ups and downs of marriage.
Despite an open, light-filled house, and clean-cut, textured clothing, a subtle claustrophobia dominates the frame; the use of wide angle lenses and low camera angles makes it look like this couple lives in a dollhouse. And while it may be filled with furniture, there is no life in sight; the cleanliness of the house reflects the couple’s sterility. There’s no outside world for them to escape into, either; no garden, no neighbors, and no other actors (until the end!). There’s a sense that even in this immaculate and idealized space, these characters must go to war with each other in order to make peace with themselves.
Go to war they do, but it’s a very hilarious war, and it is not the kind of conflict we’re used to seeing onscreen. Like actors in an old silent film, they take full advantage of physicality and space–there’s one shot where Stanley crawls across the floor on all fours to grab a ball with his mouth, and you wonder how he did it. Allman’s directing is confident and clear, and repeated gags (an “inverted uterus” hand motion in particular) keeps the mood light when the subtext drifts into darkness. It’s a fun film, and it’s lovely to watch these actors play off each other’s strengths, making fools of themselves on screen while making salient points about marriage.
Mommy sees the problem here, you haven’t been neutered, huh? All that sexual energy and no way to make little doggies, huh? Drive a doggy crazy, huh? Drive your master crazy.
Though it was initially conceived as a single short film, it is now the first in a series of thematically linked shorts called Marriage. (In Short.) that will be shot over the next couple of years. (You can access a Kickstarter for the second film in the series at that link.) As for the inspiration for the film, Marshall saw the lead actress perform the one act play and fell in love. That lead actress is his wife, Jamie Anne Allman, who nursed their young baby in between takes (in period costume underwear, Marshall adds). Her on-screen husband is Mark Kelly, who has the kind of face you feel like you’ve seen before, and will likely see again in the future.
Ultimately, Make Like a Dog maintains the vibrant expressiveness of live theater while taking advantage of the unique benefits of the cinematic medium (vivid camera angles, naturalistic lighting, and snazzy foley work). It is a promising first effort from Allman, and two standout performances from the two actors make this film a strange, insightful satire about the dangers of ignoring the problem (and trying to be the “perfect couple”). And while Stanley and Elvira do make like dogs, they make up like humans; ready to move out of the dollhouse and into reality.