Luc Besson’s ‘Dogman’ Comeback

The genre-blurring film stars Caleb Landry Jones (‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’) as a man who was severely abused as a child but survives thanks to his preternatural affinity with canines.

Dogman Venice Film Festival Competition — ‘Dogman’ SHANA BESSON

Luc Besson let the dogs out in Venice Thursday night, premiering his comeback vehicle, Dogman.

Besson and the cast were showered with howls of approval from the audience.

Besson’s 21st feature, which sold widely ahead of its Venice debut, is being closely watched as a possible return to directorial form for the maker of Lucy and The Fifth Element.

The past half-decade has been a tumultuous period for Besson’s business and reputation, following the flop of his big-budget sci-fi Valerian (2017), the implosion of his French studio EuropaCorp, and #MeToo scandal involving accusations of rape and sexual assault.

Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) stars in the film as the eponymous Dogman, who was severely abused as a child but survived thanks to his preternatural affinity with canines.

When the character is taken in by police after a violent incident, Jones’ character gets a psychiatric assessment from prison psychiatrist Evelyn (Past Lives actress Jojo T. Gibbs) and tells her his life story. The film is set in New Jersey, but it was primarily shot in a studio in France.

Venice Fest 2023: Dogman–Cheers for Luc Besson’s Comeback

Luc Besson’s ‘Dogman’ Comeback

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