Director: Pablo Berger

Adapted from Sara Varon’s graphic novel, Spanish director Pablo Berger’s picture is a charming and affecting portrait of loneliness and companionship in the big city. It’s the 80s and Dog, a dog, is tired of rattling around his apartment and eating TV dinners in an anthropomorphic New York. To fend off loneliness, he orders a self-assembly robot via mail. The robot, ‘Robot’, soon becomes a fully functioning friend and he and Dog go roller-skating and take a trip to the beach where, alas, a frustrating problem separates them and threatens to end their friendship. Related without dialogue, this is a heart-warming if wistful tale, soundtracked by multiple versions of Earth Wind and Fire’s ‘September’, including the ebullient original and more muted jazzy outings, while the 80s NYC vibes are appealingly evoked via boom boxes, wayfarer shades and roller discos. Younger kids used to more frantic fare may be frustrated by the lack of incident over a slightly extended one-hour-forty-minute running time, but older children and grownups should be captivated by the touchingly melancholy depiction of friendship and transience.

David Willoughby

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