SFIFF Review: My Dog Tulip
The relationship between a man and his dog is an incredibly complicated one. The struggle to define the roles in these relationships is constant; are the two truly companions, equal in their dependance on one another, or is the dog to be subservient to a “master” who provides shelter and sustenance? Can one’s relationship with a pet ever truly replace intimate human interactions?
The animated feature My Dog Tulip, directed and animated by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger and screening at this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival, explores one of these human/canine relationships. This true story is adapted from J.R. Ackerley’s memoir of the same name.
Joe, a single middle-aged man living in England during the 1940s, acquires an Alsatian named Tulip. Tulip’s behavior is erratic and, at times, destructive, earning her few friends. Joe, however, becomes attached to Tulip and she becomes his ideal soulmate. He dedicates the next fourteen years to making Tulip’s life as ideal as possible. He doesn’t always succeed, but his motives are pure and his effort admirable.
My Dog Tulip is exquisitely animated, using over 800,000 hand-drawn images. Animator Paul Fierlinger uses a software program that transfers pen strokes on a touchpad to his computer, creating the film’s individual frames. A practice that results in the use of no paper. His images resemble hasty sketches, unrefined, but fantastically organic. His wife, Sandra Fierlinger, then takes his now-computerized images and adds color using a watercolor-like palate, resulting in a lush, but muted feel. These pictures are the film’s greatest strength.
The story of Joe and Tulip is told entirely through Joe’s (voiced by Christopher Plummer) own first-person narration. The film has very little dialogue, aside from an occasional bark from Tulip. The constant voiceover tells an interesting story and the language used is poetic, but it pulls the viewer away from the Fierlingers’ beautiful animation and quickly becomes grating. Film is a visual medium; the story is to be told through pictures, not words. As the film rolls on, it becomes apparent that the script is almost unchanged from it’s source material; it is as if Plummer is simply reading from the pages of Ackerley’s memoir, resulting in My Dog Tulip feeling like an extended episode of Reading Rainbow.
Further, the final film could have used a bit more time in the cutting room. At only 82 minutes, it should have been a breeze to get through, but by it’s third act, felt like a chore. Scenes repeat themselves, causing a stall in pacing and an overall disconnect from the story. Why pay attention now when I saw a similar scene five minutes ago?
While the film’s execution is flawed, it still tells a touching story and does so effectively. Audiences are convinced that Joe truly did love his dog, and his dedication to her is enough to melt the heart of any dog owner. It’s just a shame that Fierlinger, who is also the film’s screenwriter, allowed the words of the narration overwhelm the power of his animation.
The San Francisco International Film Festival takes place this year from April 22 to May 6.
My Dog Tulip screens Sunday April 25 at 6:00pm, Tuesday April 27 at 4:15pm & Saturday May 1 at 8:50pm. Please visit the official SFIFF website for more information on specific screenings.
I saw My Dog Tulip yesterday and arrived a bit late; thus, I was kind of trapped in the middle of the first row looking at everything like I was a fly on the bottom of the screen. At first, I was actually a little excited; as an illustrator/animator myself, I loved the flat, sketchy artwork and the beautiful color; so close up, I could not only see technique but dotscreen, which, weirdly, gave it a nice clarity. The color work was glorious, as was the drawing. It made me want to draw and paint—without Photoshop!
But I found it hard to stay awake. I think your review clarifies why. I wasn’t sure at the time why I kept fighting sleep, but hearing the lull of Christopher Plummer’s voice may have had something to do with it. I perked up a bit when we heard Isabella Rossellini as the kind vet; but that went nowhere. Eventually, while the author’s observations were astute and touching, I got the point: Dogs are all about smell, they are unabashed, they express themselves in sharp contrast to the cultural British custom of skulking around, living a life of quiet desperation. But I wanted more, and I think I was frustrated that the movie was so much about dog poo: as though making a distinguished, classy, artful movie about poo was a schoolboy’s joke that never got old. It got old for me.
So, I was left inspired artistically but, curiously, unsatisfied. I WANTED to love this movie, but found it boring instead. As a drawing show, it was wonderful to have these beautiful works flashing before me for almost two hours; however, as a story, you’re right, it was way to repetitive. In 2010, it was MUCH too vague (and perhaps distractingly confusing) about the main character having been gay. Other layers: Being in love with your female dog while living with your gay lover in the mid-20th century, say — would have offered much more in the way of compelling contemplations.
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