Pet

Many humans love to have pets. No matter if you love fishes, dogs, cats, lizards, snakes, hamsters, rabbits, you can choose from a very big selection. When i was a kid, i had a hamster who i named Akira. He was not afraid of many things, not even my sister´s rabbit Mimmi. He would walk around outside my mothers house, and eat snails. For some reason, he loved chewing on those....things. I also had a turtle, and fishes. But, eventually as i went into my teenage years, i was too busy watching video violence on VHS, and listening to music cds, so i did not get any more pets. I don´t have any pets now either in my adult life, maybe because i don´t have much time over for having a dog, or a cat. Who knows, maybe i will get one someday, just to comfort myself over the fact that Fifty Shades Of Grey actually exist ( i did not think that would be possible ). Speaking about pets, how many of you watched those pet comedies back in the 90´s, such as Beethoven, or Dr .Doolitle with Eddie Murphy ? Yes, the 90´s released a ton of family comedies, that were made to please kids, and addicted smiling mothers. But we also had some other pet films, that i think were more interesting. Especially the 1988 film Monkey Shines, by director George A.Romero. About a man who is paralyzed, and needs help in his home, so he gets his very own monkey to assist him. The film flopped, but had an interesting view on how humans and animals can connect, in good ways, but also in bad ways. Monkey Shines clearly showed that you can´t always trust every animal, they have animal instincts inside of them. I suggest you see this film, if you have not seen it. Shout! Factory released a nice blu ray release of the film, with some nice special features. Other classic animal films is of course the film Cujo, based on the novel by author Stephen King. A horror film from 1983 that might not be as effective as it was back in the 80´s, but is still considered to be a classic. Have you ever heard about how some people, have weird obsessions, that have something to do with animals ? Some like to be dressed as dogs, or be trained as a dog, while some even go as far as having sexual fantasies about animals. But then we also have those who have fantasies, having women as their slave, locked up in a cage, like an animal. This is something the film Pet takes on, telling the story of a man with his mental illness. I got a chance to see this film from the dvd release from Njutafilms. Is this a really good independent film, or is this a release that no one should remember ?

Seth ( Dominic Monaghan ) is a very shy man, with no friends at all. He works at the local Animal Control, where he takes care of dogs. When he is not working, he have become addicted to a girl named Holly ( Ksenia Solo ) who works as an waitress. One night he decides to kidnap her, and lock her in a special made cage, inside the Animal Control facility. He finally have the girl of his dreams, where he wants her to be. But is Holly the innocent girl, or does she have a secret within her, that only Seth knows about ?

Going into Pet, without knowing almost nothing at all about the film, is a very good way to see if the film with an open mind. And i will say this, considering i have seen a lot of films over the years, where women are being hold hostages, Pet have a different approach than most of these films. Just imagine how disturbing it would be, to find out a man see women as pets? We have seen some really disturbed men in cinemas for many years, and i would say that this character called Seth, ( played by actor Dominic Monaghan ), is one example of how mentally insane people can be. This is a psycological thriller, who basically tries to give us an image, of how Seth thinks, and react in ordinary day life. And it becomes very clear, that he have big problems thinking realistic. Instead, he digs into his own darkness, and thinks he have everything in control. Since this is a very low budget film, you can´t expect to have everything perfect. And there are some issues with this film, especially the acting. Some of the characters are not something you care about, so eventually you feel more interesting in Seth, and his disturbed mind. Lead actor Dominic Monaghan, ( probably most known for his role as Meriadoc in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy ), give a performance that is interesting. I would not say he does a really good performance, but he is definitely the highlight of this film. The story is very simple, and that´s ok, as long as you make sure it fits with the characters. One thing i do enjoy about Pet, is how simple it is, but still manage to keep the viewer fascinated. Us normal people, could never understand the mind of the mentally insane, so a view into their thoughts, and ideas, give us an image of how they function. Director Carles Torrens have directed several films in the past, and one of the films most people recognize by his work, could be the spanish horror film Apartment 143. Pet have some horror influences, but is more on a psychological level. There is nothing really original about the film, but it works, thanks to the lead character Seth. I like the twist that comes almost an hour later into the film, makes you think for a moment if you really know what is going on. I enjoy this film, for what it is trying to do. Pet may not find a large audience, this is a small independent film for fans of smaller productions. If you enjoy films in this format, i suggest you rent the film, and give it a try. Pet does have something to say, and you might not enjoy the message.

Rating: DDD


Here is the link to the dvd release from Njutafilms, in case you are curious to see the film,

http://www.njutafilms.com/pet/