Dogleg

Dogleg is quite an unusual debut. For starters, the film doesn’t take one straightforward narrative– it shifts into various side stories, from a search for a fiancée’s dog conducted via hoverboard, to a period blood spell casted on a Colorado farm, to a crew member being approached rather strangely by two women, to Al’s disastrous shoot, with each section led by a different lead. It is also certainly strange to insert commentary about the film within the film itself, with the lead, and writer-director Al Warren doing the commenting. But this metanarrative is certainly interesting, and funny, and takes unexpected, remarkable turns for a debut feature.

Alan, a balding film director, loses his fiancé's dog at a gender reveal party on the morning of an important shoot. A critic named Nick gives candid observations on a series of incomplete shorts that Alan has spent his own money making. As the pursuit of the lost dog and the chaos of the short films begin to blend, Alan grows desperate for the day to be over.