Through the exploration of how the dogs are treated, Lo does something truly clever, she draws comparisons and metaphors between the dogs and the human beings around them, ultimately commenting on how prejudice, class, and wealth affect how human beings are treated, particularly those that are homeless. Often the dogs are seen as pests – unwanted, feral, and diseased. We see how a big problem with the street dogs is how they’re perceived, with people’s prejudices clouding objective judgment. This ultimately allows us to experience, not just understand, the themes that Lo is consequently exploring. It really cannot be understated how brilliant the coverage of the film’s animal subjects is here.īut it’s this personal, intimate point of view camera work that lets us tap into the empathy needed to understand Zeytin and to see things from her point of view. A lot of the camera work is at ground level, which immediately humanizes the dogs, but also makes the whole film feel more intimate and focused as if the camera itself has been accepted as part of the pack. Lo’s camerawork is key to this documentary, and it’s truly extraordinary how she’s managed to capture the intimate moments of Zeytin and the gang of street dogs she is often part of. They have an affinity for the dogs and often care for them. Along her path, she crucially runs into a group of young lads who are refugees from Syria. We see her going about her everyday life, enjoying what the streets of Istanbul have to offer, interacting with others of her kind as well as human beings that are strangers. The film centers around a stray named Zeytin, who is every bit the handsomely featured, brown-eyed, and wildly expressive leading actress you’d expect to carry a movie, just miles more lovable and cute. You become invested in their futures and their journeys in the same way you would if the documentary was about humans or characters in a fiction. You can’t help but be drawn into the everyday lives and antics of the dogs that we’re introduced to. Indeed, as a dog lover, the labyrinth of streets full of stray dogs, all with characters and personalities of their own, resembles a sort-of suburban heaven. Multiple attempts are made to eradicate their presence there in one way or another, but Lo’s Stray clearly treats these dogs, who certain people have seen as pests, with warmth, reverence, and empathy, even making the argument that they are embedded as a positive part of Turkish culture. Turkey’s street dogs have been an ongoing issue for the country. In Stray, a sweeping documentary on street dogs in Istanbul from this year’s London Film Festival, director Elizabeth Lo certainly reveals a lot about how human beings treat ‘man’s best friend’ and also each other. You can learn a lot about who someone is by watching how they treat animals.
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