Red

Avery Ludlow, an old man fishing by the river with Red, his only friend, is stopped by three teenagers. One of them, the son of a wealthy family, shoots the dog for fun. Avery does not want revenge; he wants the boy's father to acknowledge what happened and to hear an apology. Nobody will give him one. The film is not interested in revenge. It is interested in not being acknowledged: Avery tries every door, the police, a lawyer, a journalist, and each time is told the matter is small. Violence comes only after every door has closed, and it comforts nobody. The form is plain and patient: the town, the river, a hardware store. The camera stays a long time on the old man's face. The source is Jack Ketchum's novel. The production was troubled: the director changed mid-shoot, Trygve Allister Diesen replacing Lucky McKee, and the film carries both names. Brian Cox plays Avery and the film rests entirely on his shoulders; Kyle Gallner and Noel Fisher play the teenagers. Who it is for: viewers who like quiet, hard character drama. Who it is not for: anyone who cannot take violence against an animal. It happens in the first minutes and is shown directly.