Mr. Loenberg, you had me at a horror movie told from a dog’s perspective. What I didn’t epect was a proto-Spielbergian ghost story that hits all the feels with its unique storytelling.

There is a lot to dissect and discuss for this wonderful film that is getting great word of mouth. In fact, talking about it, and the themes at work within it, would take longer than the film’s seventy-two minute runtime.

It’s not a gimmick film. There’s a real heart and magic to the tale (tail?) and it all rests on the performance that was captured over three years of Indy the dog.

There are little touches that I love throughout the film. We see the world from Indy’s point of view, which means for the most part that we don’t see his human’s face unless Indy looks up at him. It put me in mind of the way Spielberg shot E.T. at kid level, never seeing a lot of the adult actors above the waist.

Indy and his human, Todd (Shane Jensen) are taking a bit of a break, getting away from the world. Possibly Todd is running from the world, especially his sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman) as he tries to process his illness.

So he heads out to the woods. To a house (cabin) in the woods. His grandfather’s (Larry Fessenden). We learn through Vera that bad things happened there, and maybe it’s haunted.

Indy and Todd pal around, and animal owners will recognize themselves in these moments – as Todd responds to Indy’s cries and barks and carries on conversations with him.

But is something more going on here?

Indy definitely thinks something is up. And if you’ve ever caught your dog watching something that’s not there in the corner, or barking at something you can’t see, then you know our furry pals tend to be a little more in tune with things.

Vera mentions this, along with the fact that dog’s can smell out things. Which leads to my thought that this story is merely a parable for the real problem at the heart of Todd’s health.

Like all dog lovers, I worried from the get-go that Indy wouldn’t make it through the movie. It is a horror story after all. But it’s from his perspective, so don’t sweat that angle too much. He makes it through.

In fact, the last shot of the film is incredibly poignant, signaling what it conveys.

Good Boy is more creepy than flat-out scary. There are some really spooky moments, and they are all executed incredibly well. The visual effects work great, and the story, though short, feels perfectly paced.

And through it all, Indy holds the viewer’s attention as we project our own emotions on his performance.

Good Boy is smart, inventive, and lovingly made film that you don’t have to be a dog owner to appreciate, but it sure helps.

Absolutely loved this film.

Get out to your local theater and support it.