Australian cinema often cultivates bizarrely fascinating documentaries. In 1988, Mark Lewis made a film about cane toads, the pugnacious, rubbery giant frogs that were introduced into Australia several decades ago and which – in a catastrophic comedy of errors – quickly supplanted natural wildlife in rivers and on the ground as a dominant species. (The toads are seemingly un-killable, are poisonous to the touch and multiply by the thousands within days. In a wry gesture, they're now celebrated as a national icon.) In 2010, Lewis produced a 3D sequel – CANE TOADS: THE CONQUEST - which continued the original's eccentric tone. In 2004, Gary Doust shot the grim and hilarious MAKING VENUS, a documentary on the making of the abortive porno comedy THE VENUS FACTORY which became a macabre, thoroughly harrowing study in disaster when the latter film's producers turned out to be even bigger screw-ups than the ostensibly funny characters they were attempting to put on screen. (To date, THE VENUS FACTORY is uncompleted, but the creators – Jason Gooden and Julian Saggers – have the distinction of owing millions of dollars to creditors after they poured untold riches from family and friends into a bottomless cinematic pit).
James Boldiston – a brash Melbourne film-maker best known for shepherding the anarchic reality TV show FANGING IT (2008), and more recently directing the affecting boxing short LEATHER (with RED HILL's John Brumpton) – has swung for the fences with one of the more unexpectedly witty and affecting documentaries I've seen in a while. DOG POO: THE TRUTH AT LAST is an informative and amusing treatise on how different nationalities respond (or don't) to the widespread problem of dog crap, shot in a manner that emphasizes moving or funny personal stories from the on-camera participants, and which is dotted throughout with a mind-boggling collection of public domain stock film footage (from cult science-fiction, horror and exploitation movies of the 50's and 60's) in a way that suggests a loud and colorful psychic explosion under pressure from an unrepentant trash addict's brain. (Criswell from Ed Wood's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE provides a deathless intro, and numerous other oddball clips make an appearance). To note that a documentary about dog poo energized by lovingly chosen schlock footage from cult trash is a rarity in local filmmaking is to understate the case, yet the film remains breezily entertaining throughout.
DOG POO elicits anecdotes from dog owners all over the world. The endless succession of testimony and reportage from disparate global locations becomes a wry running gag as the film progresses. (Boldiston evidently did more international travel during the shoot of this documentary than Connery, Lazenby and Moore did during their collective tenure as Bond.) In the UK, we meet a young mother who started a campaign after her child lost an eye from touching a pile of poo. A Sri Lankan man attempts to combat the problem of strays, and another UK woman takes a council to court after an overzealous officer accuses her of picking up another dog's waste rather than her own. We see a cyclist who runs a business walking dozens of dogs, and scientists noting just how toxic dog poo is to human health. (The answer - even more than you think). A bush-ranger uses dog waste as evidence of local mutts, and candid footage captures sheepish dog owners running for cover after neglecting to clean up after their pooch. The movie emphasizes surprising facts mixed with a giddy sense of humour, and highlights the story with clever captions, animation, montages from each country and the aforementioned film clip excerpts from other cult films as a clever running commentary on the main narrative. It's a fast-paced, entertaining show, and significantly more likable and engaging than I thought a documentary about dog poo could ever be. It also makes pertinent points about animal welfare, and about how we treat – or mistreat – our fellow citizens.
Don't be put off by the eccentric subject matter. DOG POO: THE TRUTH AT LAST is a clever, enjoyable film that offers a wry cinematic vision that you won't find elsewhere, and is a more agreeable use of 90 minutes than several other films I've seen this year. It holds its own amongst higher-profile documentaries, and in quality and taste is the complete opposite of the soft, brown organic substance that makes up the first two words of its title. The director of the documentary has reportedly being sending proceeds from his film towards dog welfare and animal shelter charities in the various countries he filmed in. If there were any justice in the world, his service to the communities of good-natured pooches and attentive owners he met and documented during his travels – and to audiences in Australia and overseas looking for a movie that thoroughly entertains without condescension - would qualify him for BAFTA and Logie awards presented by the ghost of legendary Australian cultural icon Graeme Kennedy. If you're going to see one Australian movie about dogs this year, skip RED DOG and watch DOG POO: THE TRUTH AT LAST instead.
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