Michael Ward on Saturday, May 31

A dog looks off in the distance in a dark room as a light shines behind him.

GOOD BOY
Director: Ben Leonberg
73 Minutes

★★★

A bleak, supernatural suspense/thriller, Good Boy follows a single man (Shane Jensen) who relocates to a family home deep in the woods with his trusted companion, Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and, truly, a very good boy.

Set for release by Shudder later this year, Good Boy is co-written and directed by Indy’s real-life owner Ben Leonberg, and is entirely told through the dog’s point-of-view. Indy is remarkable on screen.

While the film starts to spin its wheels and lose steam during its brief 73 minutes, Good Boy does offer, arguably, one of the greatest animal actor performances of all time. Indy is perceptive, emotive, and fully believable as he hears and sees things his human cannot. We learn everything through Indy’s observations and discoveries. No matter what is happening on screen, Indy steals your heart and we find ourselves willing to protect him at all costs.

Good Boy was screened as part of the 51st Seattle International Film Festival.