The Secret Thoughts of Martin
Jenae Graves
We are seeing a continual trend of creators giving personal, funny life stories to animals. The HBO show 'Animals' and Watchable's 'Dogs in a Park' are both inventive and highly entertaining. Downward Dog fits in with them well while standing on its own. Downward Dog circles a dog (Sadie) named Martin, voiced by Samm Hodges, who through what seems to be personal video diary is telling us about his life. Martin is deeply philosophical and at times a little lonely. Each segment is titled poignantly with only one or two words and only last about a minute each. At the end of the "episodes" there is something that Martin has learned about himself. Through the eleven minutes run time, there is trackable growth that we get to see Martin live out. By the end of the short you feel connected with Martin as if he were your own.
An element that sets this film apart from other animal protagonist stories is that it really gives you a look into what your own pet could be living. Maybe that is a stretch for you. Perhaps your dog is not as neurotic as Martin and you find his revelries drivel, but because …show more content…
There is a seriousness that takes over in the later parts of the film. Topics in the beginning make you chuckle as he tells us that there was a fly in his water bowl that say for days or that his owner is not very punctual. As time and the film go on Martin begins to really dive into what it means to be him and what it means to be a companion to his owner, Nan. (Rachel Vallozzi) In one particular segment, Martin comes to a humbling realization that even he has to be grateful if he wants to keep any kind of happiness in his life. At that moment Martin becomes more "human" than any other animal character before him. His little realizations as his story goes on will push you into your own reflection of what it means to love and to live your
Jenae Graves
We are seeing a continual trend of creators giving personal, funny life stories to animals. The HBO show 'Animals' and Watchable's 'Dogs in a Park' are both inventive and highly entertaining. Downward Dog fits in with them well while standing on its own. Downward Dog circles a dog (Sadie) named Martin, voiced by Samm Hodges, who through what seems to be personal video diary is telling us about his life. Martin is deeply philosophical and at times a little lonely. Each segment is titled poignantly with only one or two words and only last about a minute each. At the end of the "episodes" there is something that Martin has learned about himself. Through the eleven minutes run time, there is trackable growth that we get to see Martin live out. By the end of the short you feel connected with Martin as if he were your own.
An element that sets this film apart from other animal protagonist stories is that it really gives you a look into what your own pet could be living. Maybe that is a stretch for you. Perhaps your dog is not as neurotic as Martin and you find his revelries drivel, but because …show more content…
There is a seriousness that takes over in the later parts of the film. Topics in the beginning make you chuckle as he tells us that there was a fly in his water bowl that say for days or that his owner is not very punctual. As time and the film go on Martin begins to really dive into what it means to be him and what it means to be a companion to his owner, Nan. (Rachel Vallozzi) In one particular segment, Martin comes to a humbling realization that even he has to be grateful if he wants to keep any kind of happiness in his life. At that moment Martin becomes more "human" than any other animal character before him. His little realizations as his story goes on will push you into your own reflection of what it means to love and to live your