Black Dog (Chinese: 狗阵; pinyin: Gǒu Zhèn; lit. 'Dog Formation') is a 2024 Chinese drama film directed by Guan Hu, starring Eddie Peng and Tong Liya. The film had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2024, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize.
Contents
Plot
Former stunt motorcyclist Lang returns on parole to his hometown of Chixia on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert, where he was a local celebrity prior to his imprisonment for manslaughter. Many residents have left the failing town, leaving behind a large population of stray dogs. Lang's ailing and alcoholic father lives at a zoo he owns, which has long gone out of business.
A bounty is placed on a black dog that has been biting Chixia residents as part of a larger program to remove stray or unregistered animals before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Lang pursues the bounty but returns defeated and bitten. Joining the local dog-capturing squad, he develops compassion for the dogs, leading to conflicts with the team members. When the dog is finally caught, Lang is tasked with transporting him, but becomes stranded in the wild overnight due to strong winds. He huddles with the dog in the cold and is bitten again. He is helped by a travelling circus group coming into town, and grows close with an unhappy dancer named Grape. Self-quarantining following the bite, Lang forms a bond with the black dog and decides to adopt him. Meanwhile, Lang's father is admitted to the hospital due to rapidly deteriorating health.
