Indie Spotlight- Moon Dogs

In an ongoing effort to help aspiring filmmakers and promote independent films, particularly those struggling with distribution and releases, we periodically feature films in our ‘Indie Spotlight’ series for your consideration.

Moon Dogs (2017)

93min

Genre:     Comedy, Drama, Music

Director:  Philip John

Cast:       Jack Parry-Jones, Christy O’Donnell, Tara Lee…and more

Writers:   Derek Boyle and Raymond Friel

-Synopsis-

When puppy love concerns arise after his girlfriend heads off to university, a small island teen reluctantly co-opts his estranged stepbrother and sets off on an impromptu road trip from rural Scotland to the big city to save his relationship—but a chance encounter with an alluring and uncompromising girl takes their odyssey down a different path, as she leads them on a journey of misadventure and self-discovery in this indie road dramedy.

The good old-fashioned ‘road movie’—whether a comedy or drama, on actual roads or otherwise—has long been a filmmaking staple for both indie and mainstream cinema, entertaining audiences with characters who embark on both physical and existential journeys, often put in awkward situations while hashing out personal issues and learning some life-lessons along the way. Now Welsh musician-turned-TV director Philip John gives us his two cents on the sub-genre, with his British-Irish road trip indie dramedy feature debut.

Young Welshman Jack Parry-Jones stars as ‘Michael’, the typical tightly-wound teen aching to leave behind his provincial life in the rural Shetland islands, only to have his shot at university and big city life with his girl ‘Suzy’ scuppered by ‘Thor’—his brooding musician step-brother with hermit tendencies and with whom he has no real relationship, played by fellow film debutant Christy O’Donnell. Reluctantly thrown together on a road adventure across land and sea to reach Suzy in Glasgow, the lads join forces with ‘Caitlin’ (Tara Lee); an unflappable, strong-willed and seductive young grifter and musician with her own business in the city, who leads them on a journey of self-actualisation.

Aside from being a road movie and dysfunctional family drama with awkward comedic undertones, music is a central focus of ‘Moon Dogs’, which is unsurprising considering the musical background of its writer director. Indeed John clearly draws on his own nomadic experiences for the narrative, and makes use of his star Tara Lee’s talents—a burgeoning Irish singer/songwriter in her own right—as the sonic heart and driving musical force in the film.

For a low budget British/Irish indie, ‘Moon Dogs’ is surprisingly well-shot, and despite the lack of filters and a mostly realist aesthetic, the sheer beauty of the lush rural and coastal Scottish landscapes gives the film a magical quality—lending some ‘Fellowship of the Rings’ vibes to this journey, with the brothers as a bickering teen ‘Frodo & Sam’ and Caitlin as their self-styled temptress ‘Gandalf’.

There are plenty of deliberately cringeworthy situations in ‘Moon Dogs’ which make for some awkward humour, but the comedy here isn’t irreverent or overwhelming, with Philip John opting for a subtlety which complements the tone of the film and a narrative that’s never too frenzied or frenetic—instead opting for a stillness which is occasionally broken up by dynamic moments, and reflects the realism of the story.

Ultimately John’s debut feature works well as a little indie road movie, modern family drama and unconventional coming-of-age story thanks to the strength of the three central performances. Tara Lee displays oodles of cool charisma as the seductive catalyst of the journey, while Christy O’Donnell impresses in his film debut as the most troubled of the trio—but Jack Parry-Jones arguably steals the show with his own debut as the high-strung but good hearted leader of the pack. Yet everyone involved contributes to a modern story made in the British isles, but with universal themes about growing up and discovering the true meaning of family.

‘Moon Dogs’ is out in UK & Irish cinemas now, www.moondogsmovie.com

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.