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The Dog Trainer

A young soldier is drawn in by a deformed man who wants to turn him into his nurse.

synopsis

Joan of Arc, a dangerous and efficient combat dog, has escaped from a military canine division. The one responsible is Simón, who must bring her back. He arrives at the remote house where Jean Pierre, a Frenchman who trains and sells dogs to the army, lives with his family: Cristal, Albertina and Amado, a motionless and deformed man. They welcome him with great kindness, and he quickly discovers that Joan of Arc returned to the house, but the animal’s obsession with Amado prevents him from taking her back. The family invites Simón to stay some days to choose and train another dog that will obey him. As his stay lengthens, Simón gradually forgets his original mission. He eventually discovers that the one who truly dominates the dogs is Amado, who has created a language of almost imperceptible whistles with which he controls them. The entire family moves to the rhythm of his desires. Yet the most surprising thing is not that, but the fact that Amado wants Simón to turn into his new favourite nurse.

Director’statement

One day I received a message from Matías Fernández Burzaco. He had just seen my adaptation of The Elephant Man, and he wanted the “Elephant Woman’s” phone number. It was horrible for me to confess that her face was the result of FX makeup. We met a few days later and we became friends immediately. Today we find ourselves writing this film together, which I will direct, and he will star. Unlike those films that depict disabled characters exclusively in a positive light, I would like to make a complex portrait and reveal their darker and more manipulative dimensions, which are part of us all. The goal is to transform the “monster” into a “person,” to change the viewer’s perception of humans outside the norm through the film’s point of view, just as I did with Matías when I met him. In that way, The Dog Trainer is a territory to investigate the exploitative nature of relationships and the power game that desire entails. It is a story about monsters, but what is truly monstrous is love.

TFL PROGRAMME:
FeatureLab 2025

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