In this pitch-black Norwegian thriller, Sigrid thinks she's met her perfect match with the charming and handsome Christian, but there is one catch—he lives with a man who acts like his pet dog.
A twisted take on man’s best friend … In an age where the goal seems to be to shock as many people as possible, Bøe succeeds with a genuinely unsettling story.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2023
Good Boy 2022
Just when you think you’ve seen every aspect of nightmarish online dating encounters along comes this perverse Norwegian nugget. When Sigrid (Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen) meets too-good-to-be-true handsome wealthy bachelor Christian (Gard Løkke) for a date, she’s slightly unprepared for what awaits her back at his mansion after they hookup.
This mysterious and sexually charged thriller kicks off like a loopy foreign Fifty Shades of Grey before discarding that template and introducing Frank—Christian’s dog—a man in a weird dog costume who acts like a dog. Pressed for answers, Christian explains that Frank is a friend who suffered a breakdown of sorts and is role-playing as a dog to heal past trauma and cope with the harsh realities of normal life. Suspicious at first, Sigrid begins to open up to the idea of this hairy third-party being part of an exciting new relationship. After numerous bad dates and less than desirable hookups, this handsome millionaire with a friend dressed as a dog suddenly begins to look appealing.
When a romantic getaway to a secluded house with a stranger and his dog is suggested, it lays the precarious foundation for a weekend of weirdness that does not disappoint fans of dark visceral experiences. — Ant Timpson