Overview
A gentle dog groomer finds himself caught in a web of violence and revenge.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- melancholic
- oppressive
- intimate
- serious film night
- international cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Matteo Garrone’s tightly controlled grim character study, especially Marcello Fonte’s performance, while finding its social and psychological bleakness deliberately severe.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Marcello remains tied to the physically dominant and violently unstable Simone despite repeated intimidation and criminal pressure.
Marcello’s modest dog-grooming business, cocaine dealing, and neighborhood status reveal the pressures of life on the social margins.
Marcello’s long subjugation by Simone culminates in an unexpected attempt to restore his damaged dignity.
The dog shop and grim Roman neighborhood function as a claustrophobic community where Simone terrorizes residents and Marcello struggles for recognition.
Films like Dogman, and why
The American Friend
shared grim crime drama, social marginality, moral compromise, and psychologically intense character study
Gomorrah
shared bleak social realism, criminal entanglement, and escalating interpersonal violence
You Were Never Really Here
shared tragic outsider protagonist, oppressive community, and revenge-driven descent
Movie Details
- Director
- Matteo Garrone
- Release Date
- 2018-05-17
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (2324)
Cast
- Marcello Fonte
- Edoardo Pesce
- Nunzia Schiano
- Adamo Dionisi
- Francesco Acquaroli
- Alida Baldari Calabria
- Gianluca Gobbi
- Laura Pizzirani
- Giancarlo Porcacchia
- Aniello Arena
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dogman about?
- A gentle Roman dog groomer is pushed from submissive criminal complicity toward a devastating act of revenge against the neighborhood’s violent tyrant.
- What is Dogman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dogman as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Dogman violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dogman as graphic.
- What did critics think of Dogman?
- Critics broadly praised Matteo Garrone’s tightly controlled grim character study, especially Marcello Fonte’s performance, while finding its social and psychological bleakness deliberately severe.
- Which films are like Dogman?
- Films with a similar feel include The American Friend, Gomorrah, and You Were Never Really Here.
- How long is Dogman?
- Dogman runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dogman?
- In United States, Dogman streams on Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel.
