A new trailer from Grasshopper Film has come to the attention of animal lovers and documentary lovers alike. Buddy is a film out of the Netherlands that follows the stories of six dogs and six owners. It paints a portrait of these caregiving canines and the indispensable love between them and those they help.
The relationship between dog and owner is a special one, no one can deny that. But the bond between a service dog and their owner is a completely separate and beautiful thing as we see in this trailer.
“At first, you’re scared he’ll let you bump into things,” says one of the subjects in the film, “but it was such a revelation that I could surrender myself to him.” It is impossible not to smile during even this brief, two-minute window into the film as the dogs assist their owners with tasks that many of us take for granted, like pulling the covers up, or even running.
“When I see you running,” the filmmaker, veteran documentarian Heddy Honigmann (Forever) says from behind the lens, “you wouldn’t think, ‘There goes a blind person.” To which the Dutch woman on screen replies, “No.” But there she is, running with her companion.
These service dogs aren’t just animals that provide comfort to the disabled. They perform incredible tasks, as we see in the opening of the trailer as one of them helps their owner with an injection of medication. The owner is just offering words of encouragement as she watches her companion help her sustain independent living.
That is what this documentary trailer seeks to do: show the immense capacity of these animals and the awe-inspiring love they form with those they care for.
Buddy is not the only new documentary detailing the stunning abilities of service dogs. Cosmic Pictures opened their new film, Superpower Dogs, today. The IMAX release, which follows remarkable dogs as they train to become rescuers. is being marketed less like a documentary and more of a family film. And it’s narrated by Captain America himself, Chris Evans.
Another popular film about dogs came out last year titled Pick of the Litter, which follows a litter of four-legged friends from birth on to a two-year-long journey to becoming guide dogs for the blind. The doc won a number of audience awards at festivals around the world.
Buddy was voted in the top 10 audience choice at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam after its world premiere there in November of 2018 and will open in US theaters on March 20th.
