My dog killer (Mira Fornay, 2013): Slovakia

Reviewed by Sofie Larsson. Viewed at the AFI FilmFest, hollywood.

Mira Fornay ”My Dog Killer” is an alarming story about Marek (Adam Mihal) and his bull-terrier named Killer. It’s a story that reflect our social rural prejudice and I was shocked when I watch it at AFI film fest, Hollywood.

My dog killer is about the young, angry and confused boy Marek. His mother Marika (Irina Bendova) leaved him and his father (Marian Kuruc) alone when she got  pregnant with a Gipsy, 8 years ago. Marek lives in a poor village in Slovakia. This shaved-headed tattooed boy spends most of his time with his dog killer. A amiable beast that quickly can goaded into ferocity. His father owns a vineyard that doesn’t make enough money, he need to sell the house, so that they can survive. To be able to sell, Marek’s dad need his wife signature. Marek’s leaves his dog with his shaven-headed friends and take his moped to go see his mother in a village nearby. When he finally find her at the manicure shop where see works, she hasn’t brough or signed the papers. While driving back to her place, she gets a call from her new sons school, saying that they can’t find him. Marek refuse to let the papers wait another day and follow to find his half-brother Lucas (Libor Filo). When Marek sees how badly his crappy mother threats Lucas, he leaves without the papers, even though the fact that his father threatening to trow him out if he doesn’t get the papers. He can’t stand his mother and he can’t believe that she ditch him for that gipsy. His unloved curious little half-brother, don’t understand why he is leaving and follow him back all the way to a cafe. When Marika finds them by the cafe, some girls calls her a whore and even though Marek is dissapointed on her, he stands up for her and she signs the papers. Marek has a lot of ancestry that weighs heavy on him and even after he had stand up for his mother, this ancestry makes him do some drastic action that results in terrible consequences.

This disturbing story of a young boy who is trying to blend in really shows the audience how crude our world can be. Adam Mihal who plays Marek does a great acting. Just by watching him the audience understands how he feels. He doesn’t fit in, his shaven-headed buddies doesn’t fully accept him because of what his mother did. His mother is a shame in this staunchly Catholic village and he feels that she is destroying his life. Thanks to Adam Mihals’ performance, you accept his horribly actions and understand why he behaves in the way he does.

My dog killer is an interesting film that really reflect and explains why a guy with a bad childhood behaves as he does. It’s a movie about that brings up a big social community issue and It’s a well made movie that it worth your time.