Ben Leonberg, “Good Boy” (2025)
For his first film as a director, Ben Leonberg chose an unusual lead actor: his own pet dog, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever called Indy. Filmed over a three-year period, “Good Boy” is a supernatural ghost story thriller portrayed from the perspective of a pet dog whose owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), relocates to his grandfather’s farmhouse in a remote rural part of the US. Todd sister’s Vera (Arielle Friedman) frets that the farmhouse is haunted and might have been the cause of their grandfather’s death but cannot stop Todd from setting up home there despite his chronic ill health. As soon as Todd and Indy arrive at the property, Indy senses a strange presence that manifests itself as dark shadows in the house.
As the days go by, Todd and Indy meet with the neighbour Richard who warns them of fox traps he has put in the forest and who tells them that after the grandfather’s death, the grandfather’s dog Bandit disappeared. Indy repeatedly encounters the dark presence and occasionally sees the ghost of Bandit with his red bandana. Disturbing nightmares and strange visions also come to Indy. Todd’s health continues to worsen; he starts coughing up blood, has depressive episodes during which he treats Indy badly, and resorts to holistic treatments after his doctor tells him she cannot do more for him. More strange incidents in the house occur until finally the basement yields a mysterious figure that comes to claim Todd – and only Indy stands between this dark entity and his owner.
By necessity perhaps the plot is very simple, but its very simplicity makes it a metaphor for death and how animals may be able to sense death coming before it actually occurs. Through an animal’s perspective, with the filming concentrated on Indy and the dog’s face featuring in most close-up images, the plot turns out to be more emotionally compelling than it actually is, and showcases Indy’s courage, determination and steadfast love for Todd. We see the dog’s confusion and grief as incidents occur that he cannot understand but which he knows threaten his master’s life; as a result, the film can be a raw and devastating experience for viewers. With the camera set low at the level of Indy’s head, the film becomes very intimate, and viewers can find themselves completely absorbed in Indy’s predicament and travails as he tries to protect Indy from unseen and unknowable forces. As for the human actors, we do not see very much of them – we don’t even see Todd’s face until near the very end of the film – and their acting is confined to basic everyday movements or patting and cuddling Indy.
Beneath the film’s eerie and unsettling atmosphere – though much of it is staple horror-flick narrative, such as the constant rain, the darkness and scenes set up specifically to scare the audience – is actually a heartwarming story about the love that often exists between humans and their pet animals, loss, grief and a devotion felt so deeply and strongly by a pet for its owner that the animal is willing to sacrifice everything it has – even its life – for its owner.