If you like army rangers and Belgian Malinois dogs, this film is for you. “The idea for Dog is the center of a large Venn diagram. I produced a documentary for HBO called War Dogs and its co-producer Brett Rodriguez helped me write the story for Dogs,” said writer/ director Reid Carolin.
As a followup to our documentary, HBO asked them to make a documentary about dogs, but they didn’t have any dog stories at the time. “Brett returned from serving in Iraq and suggested they reach out to the canine handlers he knew.”
Years later, both Channing Tatum (who plays Jackson Briggs) and Reid’s dogs contracted cancer. “Channing took his dog on a road trip as it was passing away while my dog got better.” Sadly, Channing’s dog passed, but he returned with stories of the incredible journey they had to together. “The story of loss moved us to tears. We had to tell a story that made us feel this way to describe the deep connection we had with our dogs.”
At that point, they discussed what the movie for Dog might be. They didn’t it to be a sad movie about loss or depression, but rather, an upbeat film that honored their relationships with their dogs.”We looked to 70s road movie for tonal inspiration.” Brett Rodriguez and Reid Carolin spent time with army rangers to fine tune their characters and their dialogue.
Reid Carolin. Photo by Brian Bowen
The story evolved over time and the shooting script was substantially different from the early drafts. “The flashback scenes in Afghanistan with Lulu’s (the Belgian Malinois) backstory were taken out because we didn’t need them.”
An Irreverent Look At PTSD
Reid Carolin was mindful of the way he presented how Briggs and Lulu’s PTSD was portrayed on screen. “I felt that the best way to tell a story about the trauma that people experience from war is to not announce that intention.” Telegraphing Dog’s intention as such creates opinions, expectations, and familiarities. Carolin gently folded in these elements into the story to gradually reveal where the darkness was coming from. His aim was for the audience to fall in love with these funny and strange characters as they hide their emotional wounds. “This is how we typically experience such people as we’re getting to know them. As the slow reveal happens, the emotional impact increases.”
Manifesting the effects of PTSD is not confined to a range of predictable behaviors like rage and acting out. Reid explained his hope for Briggs and Lulu was that they let their guards down and reflect. “The more time Briggs spent with his dog, the more responsibility he takes from her emotionally, because she’s more than just a dog to him.” Lulu becomes a bona fide person and soldier, and Briggs realized the depth of their shared war experience. Carolin cites Lulu’s attack on a Muslim man in a San Francisco hotel as an example because Briggs understands that Lulu has been specifically trained how to respond to people who look like that. Ironically, Briggs has been trained in a similar way.
Similar to many people who experience PTSD, Briggs and Lulu don’t fully heal and continue with their lives. “They are taking the first steps towards joy and becoming peaceful civilians. I didn’t want to tie it up in a bow,” said Carolin. Briggs and Lulu are in search of a new home after being yanked out of the military life they knew. They derived their identities, self esteem, praise, and approval in the army. When they were discharged, they suddenly didn’t matter anymore. “They’re castaways from their old tribe and needed to find a new one in Los Angeles to start to heal.”
Reid Carolin took great pains to get the manifestation of PTSD right in his story. He didn’t want to project his own opinions onto the characters and relied heavily on the experiences of the army rangers. “It’s easy to pin soldiers into certain archetypes. They’re either the fearless superhero or the wounded warrior bearing the sins of his country. Most soldiers suffering from PTSD are a hybrid of both.”
Dog also touches on various aspects of masculinity. Returned soldiers have transformed from an impervious tower of strength to people who are emotionally vulnerable. They can now safely verbalize what they’ve been struggling with in a non-judgmental environment. “Honestly sharing your truths and more sensitive parts of yourself with other people allows you to become a happier and healthier person on the other side,” continued Carolin.
Dog straddles a range of genres starting with a road movie. “Road movies are allowed to be flexible in their tone.” There are also elements of drama, buddy, comedy, silly caper, and even romance added for good measure. The dramatic elements and broad comedy go hand in hand according to Reid. “Dog was allowed to have zany characters that often felt larger than life.” In spite of these genre shifts, it was imperative that the emotional foundations were present in every scene.
Caroline used the underlying genre changes to misdirect the audience rather than broadcasting that Dog is a film about a broken man and broken dog.
He was also cautious about the response to some of the comedic set pieces. “We thought they may take people out of the movie if they were too over the top,” said Reid. Taking the comedy too far left field runs the risk of neutralizing the drama in the story.
With respect to advice for other writers, “they really need to grasp their story to make it resonate and bring people emotionally with your character,” Carolin concluded.
