The Boy and the Dog

What it’s about

In Sendai, six months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kazumasa Nakagaki is jobless and adrift. He meets a dog named Tamon, whose owner was killed in the disaster. Kazumasa brings Tamon home, and the dog becomes part of his family. Yet Tamon often stares southward, as if troubled by something there. When Kazumasa is caught up in a dangerous incident, Tamon vanishes. The dog later turns up in Shiga with Miwa Sugai, a woman with a painful secret. Kazumasa finds Tamon again and they start over, but the dog still heads south, bound by a promise made to a boy.

What hooks you

Takahisa Zeze directs Fumiya Takahashi as Kazumasa and Nanase Nishino as Miwa Sugai. The screenplay is adapted from a novel by Seishu Hase. The film draws on the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake, focusing on the quiet bond between people and a dog.

Who it’s for

It is worth a look for anyone who likes slow-burning dramas about resilience and quiet companionship. It will appeal to those who appreciate stories where an animal's loyalty reveals hidden truths.