Dog on Trial

In Switzerland, the law assimilates animals to inanimate objects and in the fashion of the United States’s three-strike law, the third time a dog bites someone routinely denotes its death sentence. Dotty lawyer Avril was just asked by her superior to stop accepting lost cause cases, yet when a client comes to her with the story of his recidivist griffon cross, the young woman cannot help but agree to defend little Cosmos in court.

French-Swiss actress Laetitia Dosch wrote, directed and stars in her first venture behind the camera and evidently has a blast letting the dogs out, so to speak. The entire scenario bristles with peculiar and pleasant bits of humour, for instance, the fact that the prosecutor argues a hate crime, because the dog’s previous victims had all been female. The various absurdities make the brief duration of 85 minutes fly by in no time – almost too fast to let audiences fully appreciate the sincerity behind many of the arguments made.

The characters are well-developed within their roles in the court proceedings, so the occasional glimpses into their outside lives feel rather redundant. For instance, Avril’s bizarre relationship with her neighbour’s encroaching child has no bearing on the case, nor is it needed for the viewer to grasp that they are looking at a compassionate person. In terms of performance, Dog on Trial is equally a showcase for canine actor Kodi, as well as it is for Dosch to display her various talents.

It is unfortunate that the feature doesn’t quite trust its layout to become the invigorating chamber play it could have been (think Twelve Angry Men with the comedy of Ace Ventura). Nevertheless, it is still a fun and material appeal to reconsider the world we live in and view the role of humanity with more humility.

Selina Sondermann

Dog on Trial does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival 2024 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.