Baxter

In a distinctly dark and sober tone, Baxter is a fantasy film that goes off the beaten track. The fantasy element here lies in the fact that the world is seen through the eyes of a dog who harbours unnatural ideas. It does not seek to provoke laughter but rather discomfort by showing the dreary daily life of an animal who is not respected and refuses to compromise. In the film, Baxter is a bull terrier who bares his teeth when he is unhappy. He still carries the sad scars of humans who have not been kind to him. (...) Three stories in one, brought together in this gloomy let me be your dog tale, which tackles multiple subjects at once, making the film’s theme vast and rich. Baxter also owes a lot to its rogue’s gallery of colourful characters, who are all ordinary monsters straight out of a Todd Solondz film. (Romain Le Vern; avoir-alire.com)