Waldo the Dog (2010)

"Waldo the Dog" is a strange and twisted "love story", of sorts, that pretty boldly goes about challenging the viewer into feeling sympathy for a rapist. However, it's not done in a 'exploitative' or boorish way, which really helps the film achieve a deeply weighty and tragic resonance.

A guy rapes a chick he's been 'cyber stalking' and falls into a state of self-hatred and regret. Cut to the following year, he is now homeless, non-speaking and constantly wearing a black rubber dog mask. We see his dismal, day-to-day life on the streets as he scrounges for food, willingly takes abuse from random people (seemingly as a means of contrition...), trains at a wrestling gym (where he obviously takes MORE abuse...) and continues to stalk the girl he attacked. When he ends up saving her from being assaulted by some other guys, they develop a friendship as he continues to withhold his true identity from her...

"Waldo" is a film that has its problems, but manages to 'work' really well in a multitude of ways. For instance, the way it's shot almost documentary-style gives the overall aesthetic look of the film a "rawness", without it actually being a faux-doc. There's an authenticity to it's look through the hand-held camera work and the fact that quite a bit of the public reactions to Waldo's presence appear genuine. Another unusual 'pro' is in the film's slowness, which is usually a gripe with me, but I actually found it to be a major strength with this one. The film benefits greatly from the way it takes its time establishing Waldo's dismal, guilt-ridden existence and the odd connection between him and his 'love interest'/prior victim without ever feeling extensively drawn out or groundless. What I felt didn't quite work was the very ending which I thought was too forced and seemed tacked on, needlessly. Seemed like it could've ended more effectively about 5 or so minutes sooner. In all, "Waldo the Dog" is a surprisingly unique and engaging indie- flick. Highly recommended.