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★★★★
Directed by: Rica Sweeney
Written by: #RicaSweeney
Starring: “Sasha” the dog, Rica Sweeney, #StephenSheridan, #KyleMiley, #ReneCosta
A short film with real cinematic pedigree (absolutely no apologies will be given for dog puns in this movie review), Bone from #filmmaker Rica Sweeney adds a canine curve to the classic crime caper.
Sweeney provides the inner voice for Sasha, a typical dog who finds herself running errands for a local gangster called The Baron (Stephen Sheridan) because he supplies plenty of the white stuff...Bone. Aiding The Baron with his criminal empire, whilst on a tight leash, Sasha may soon come to the end of her bountiful supply of bones if she can't pull off the biggest job yet.
Funny, charming, and engagingly simple, Bone is a short film that has few hairs and graces. The storyline could have been rudimentary and dull without the dog element but with Sasha at the helm, the movie is elevated into a higher league. Which doesn't mean that all films with a puppy automatically get a free pass (look at some of the recent canine calamities such as A Dog’ Journey or Patrick) but that a genre twist that has been well written and delivered can be a terrific way to reinvent a story audiences are fairly familiar with.
Cinematically, Bone gets everything right. The visuals are brilliantly framed and there is a nostalgic feel to the tone. Sequences involving Sasha felt organic rather than staged (a difficult feat when working with animals) which allowed her character to feel genuine. Sheridan and his cohort played by Kyle Miley are also given some great interplay that was reminiscent of a great crime comedy like Snatch or RocknRolla.
The #crime genre has long been associated with the moral failings of humans who, when given the opportunity, indulge too much in their basest urges. To have paralleled this with a dog's greed for bones was a nice allegory for societal indifference and avarice. Sweeney takes our joyous love of dogs and lets us embrace the comical tone of the film whilst revealing the “bitch” in all of us that can be tempted by one glimpse of fortune, whatever form that may take.
Making her bones in the directorial seat, Rica Sweeney lands a best in show badge with her delightful tail of criminal excess. Her bite is worse than her bark with her unassuming yet provocative piece about the human condition and if that doesn't get you slobbering at the mouth, the fantastic Sasha will get your tail wagging with enthusiastic ease.
Watch the official short movie trailer for Bone below.
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