What to see on the pandemic days: Isle of Dogs

"To the north, a long rickety causeway over a noxious sludge marsh leading to a radioactive landfill polluted by toxic chemical garbage. That’s our destination."

It was only this spring when I first discovered this animated movie directed by Wes Anderson, the movie so underrated and yet so powerful. Today, during the global COVID paranoia and environmental disasters, it seems as timely as never. And I suppose that if Shakespeare had a chance to see "Isle of Dogs", he would take his hat off in respect, though in his times, animal abuse was not in the centre of public discussion. More than once this work brought tears to my eyes, and I guess I was not the only one.

Instead of the omnipresent 3D graphics, he chose to use puppets and stop-motion animation. All the sceneries and each of the hundreds of puppets used in "Isle of Dogs" was moulded, sculpted and painted by hand. As you can see in the video, this required an immense amount of work, as the puppets had to be put in numerous poses and have dozens of facial expressions. So, the artists had to elaborate dozens of masks for every character so that their emotions could be visible. Besides, the characters had to have fur and hair...

As the story takes place in Japan, the visual style is largely based on Japanese culture, including both the traditional and the modern one. The scenery of the Isle of Dogs, with its endless wasteland, will make you shudder in disgust, though not being photorealistic. Wes Anderson and the designers also refer to the Japanese love of futurism with its creepy robots.

I cannot get it why this masterpiece remained unknown to me for such a long time. I was surprised to discover the list of the voice actors which includes Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Edward Norton (American History X, Fight Club), Bill Murray (Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation), Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Parc) Scarlett Johansson (Ghost in the Shell) Tilda Swinton (Orlando), Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai), Greta Gerwig (Little Women, director) and Yoko Ono.

The setting of the movie is Megasaki - a Japanese metropolis of the near and obviously dark future. The city is hit by an unknown epidemic, for which the corrupted mayor Kobayashi blames dogs who really can carry the disease. When he orders that the city should be cleared of dogs, the dog-owners mostly comply and allow their pets to be taken away from them. Thousands of the forsaken dogs are exiled to a huge junkyard on a desolated Trash Island where they have to exist on their own. The dire conditions and the bones that we occasionally see hint that many of them have not survived this ordeal. Only the fittest did.

One day a human literally falls from the sky to this gloomy land. It's the mayor's young nephew Atari. In a desperate attempt to bring back his friend Spots who was the very first outcast to the Trash Island, the boy hijacked a small plane which crashed on the Trach Island. Here he meets a pack of stray dogs headed by the badass black mongrel Chief. After some doubts and arguments the dogs decide to help the boy on his quest. In the end, he seems the last human who cares...

However, Atari is not the only one who wants to help. To the fury of Mayor Kobayashi, he scientist Watanabe and his team are working hard to find the cure against the "dog flu"; if treated, they dogs will pose no threat to humans. Moved by Atari's courage, the valiant exchange student Tracy Walker starts an investigation and finds out that Kobayashi and his political party of cat-lovers were to blame for dog flu outbreak. Tracy builds a team of co-student who assist her in her search for the truth.

I loved it that Wes Anderson didn't try to idealize his characters. Like any stray dog, they look messy and unhealthy, acting sometimes rude and aggressive. Before meeting Atari they even wonder if they could eat him. However, they prove more humane than the large part of humans on the film.

The dogs have strikingly different personalities and backgrounds, and will share their personal stories during their dangerous journey. More the once your heart will tremble in fear for them, for Trash Island is full of dark and dangerous secrets. The most interesting part was to watch Atari and his new company care for each other - and change each other too. So, who will win - the politician with criminal connections or a bunch of stubborn guys who risk to leave their bones in the giant junkyard?..

I believe that "Isle of Dogs" - despite its sad moments and dark humor - is the movie that helps us stay kind and feel with other living beings. It's a must-see for 10-12-year-old-kids that will teach them how to be compassionate and to choose freedom and truth. It has really melted into my heart, and only quite a naive ending made me give the movie 9/10 instead of 11/10.