In Buddy, veteran Dutch director Heddy Honigmann crafts a heartwarming exploration of the dog-human bond, celebrating the extraordinary skills of service dogs and how they support the physical and emotional health of their companions.

Set in the Netherlands, Honigmann explores six dog-human relationships. Makker assists an octogenarian woman blinded by an explosion in World War II and who — for over half a century — has benefited from the support and friendship provided by a long series of canines. Mister serves a veteran of the Afghan invasion who struggles with crippling post-traumatic stress disorder, soothing him after nightmares and literally watching his back. Utah’s snuggles are the one thing that can calm the boy with autism and epilepsy that he supports.

Buddy demonstrates the incredibly high degree of training, skill, and patience that service dogs possess. But they are animals as well as workers, and seeing these caring and intuitive creatures just being dogs is a joy in itself. -KR

PRECEDED BY

Norman Norman

Sophy Romvari, Canada, 2018, 7 mins

As her 16-year-old Shih Tzu nestles next to her, a young woman spends a night surfing the internet and pondering the ethics of genetic replication, the possible pitfalls of animal immortality, and the eternal wonders of Barbra Streisand.

Runtime: 86 mins
Director: Heddy Honigmann
Country: Netherlands
Year: 2018