Back Dog, directed by Guan Hu, is a visually sumptuous tale of rebirth set on the edge of the wild and desolate Gobi desert. The movie follows the return of a young man named Lang, played by Eddie Peng, a former child actor who had a career rebirth in adulthood after an auspicious encounter with an old colleague at a funeral. After being released from jail, where he served time for manslaughter, Lang returns to find his city a partial ghost town run by a skeleton crew, as it is being cleared out for scheduled redevelopment.
The film starts with the bus ferrying him home, crashing a few miles from town. The bus is set right, yet the man walks on alone, conveying his innate willpower or stubbornness, quintessential factors to any archetypal loner. Dark Chinese tumbleweed invokes ‘Spaghetti Western’ while Lang tries to placate an old grudge held by a powerful scion of the town. Like any great cowboy, Lang has a trusty steed – in this case, a dirt bike. Like all great cowboys, he is acknowledged as one of the famed riders of his era.
The film’s cinematography shows the beauty of the decaying city and the desolate countryside around it, which is, surprisingly for a desert, drenched in foreboding greys and blacks, highlighting the beauty of this valley of death. The town is surrounded by what looks like old mining tailings from artificial mountains that ostensibly protect it from wild desert winds, justifying the destruction of posterity. This is intricately linked to the “Chinese miracle,” but here the landscape valorises the destruction.
Lang’s path to redemption picks up pace when he comes in contact with a wild dog with a large bounty due to the fear that it is carrying rabies. However, Lang finds himself irrevocably drawn to the animal, and a bond of outsiders and kindred spirits is born. Both are talented in their ways, too. Lang fundamentally places his life on the line in rescuing and taming the dog.
When the past catches up with Lang, the dog gets lost and then reappears, but its fate is sealed.
The film cleverly doesn’t explain everything. Did Lang kill the man who died, or was it an accident? Does Lang end up getting the girl? Will the town ever be the same again? We will never know for sure…
The story culminates when the town experiences a lunar eclipse emblematic of the rebirth of Lang and the dog. In many ways, this rebirth mirrors the rebirth of China – enigmatic, mysterious, and an outsider on the world stage.
C.J. O’HARTE
Black Dog was presented at Somerville Auditorium for Lotterywest Films at Perth Festival from 31 Mar – 6 Apr 2025. For more information on this past event, click here.
