Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

4.5/5

Well, to begin with a confession. I have been crying for nearly the last half hour. These have not been tears of frustration on watching yet another jaded entertainer or difficult to fathom artsy flick. These are tears of gratitude towards the director of the movie for what is easily the most sensitive and touching portrayal of the bond between a man and a dog.

Richard Gere is the music professor at a college who finds an abandoned dog at the train station. He takes it to his home. His wife (Joan Allen) is initially against keeping the dog with them because of a reason. But slowly she understands that her husband had become totally crazy for it and he ends up becoming a part of their family which also includes a daughter. Gere finds out that its name is Hachiko.

The film tracks the relation between Gere and Hachiko over their life time. The incidents are funny and poignant and you would be laughing as well as suppressing sniffles.

Gere is in the acting form of his life and you can clearly see that he loves Hachiko. Their chemistry burns up the screen and lifts this from a very good movie to a truly extraordinary one. Allen is better than average as his wife. There are a bunch of characters that fall in love with Hachiko and they are sketched very vividly.

But the film belongs to the titular Hachiko. The director uses black and white to show his point of view. Watching many scenes I thought I could understand that the director was trying to show that we may be thinking that our pet is really fine and cozy in its place but what it actually wants at that time is to be with us, in our arms. Hachiko wins your heart and bowls you over and devastates you by the end of the run time.

I have never owned an animal in my life time. I guess it is time to set this right. As one of my friend wrote and it has stayed with me ever since, when you go and select a dog perhaps that may be the only occasion you get to select your relative.

Unbelievable achievement.