The 1975 Andy Fairweather-Low song ‘Wide-Eyed And Legless’ talks of someone’s desire and desperation to break free and repeated shame – and this is often reflective of teenagers who have traditional struggles. This is part of the essence of the new experimental indie high school drama THERAPY DOGS, which received its’ World Premiere at Slamdance 2022.
Best friends Ethan and Justin are coming to the end of their time at an Ontario High School and the challenges, trials and tribulations that await and will awaken them soon enough in the university of life are about to beckon. In their desire to show what they can do before the walls inevitably come crashing down on their idyllic lives of rebellion and lust for the opposite sex, they decide to make a video record of their time at the school, focusing on all manner of events, both chaotic and logical, by interviewing their peers and finding out what it well and truly means to be young….
Ethan Eng’s energetic and experimental affair may not have the slickness and history of classic high school dramas like AMERICAN GRAFFITI and THE BREAKFAST CLUB, but its’ very energy and haphazard visual style is probably what most high school teenagers are thinking. Whilst there is not really a great deal of structure and the camera style is a mix of all manner of devices and technology, there is still an attractive appeal and at least a moment or two that we can all empathise and sympathise with as we have all gone through some moments of clarity during this key period of development in our lives.
There are some rather awkward, embarrassing(and occasionally shocking) moments for those involved and amidst the mixed bag of montage, we get a sense of the relationship between the two videographers as they prepare to make the next steps.
Explicit imagery on show on occasion probably will deny this film to the very age group it is targeted at, but it is no less a worthwhile view, with a style that bodes well for Eng in the future.
