Space Dogs
SPACE DOGS - Deckert DistributionHumans may have been the first to step on the moon, but their best friend was the first to go to the stars. Space Dogs tells the story of Laika, a Moscow street dog, who was the first living being to go to space. While reentering orbit, Laika’s spacecraft burned up; legend says that her ghost returned to the streets of Moscow, roaming them to this day. Directors Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter tell Laika’s story through recounting the chronicle of her mission, while following two modern-day Moscow street dogs.
The directors use unreleased archival footage from the era of the dogs’ training in the Soviet Union. At first, it seems rather comical; dogs are being whirled around in a flight simulator, and launching into orbit. Nevertheless, as the film goes deeper into the rigorous tests they were put through, the viewer develops a sense of admiration and respect for the dogs that gave their lives for this great achievement.
The footage is the driving force of the documentary. As it is almost unbelievable that dogs would be able to complete such tasks, it glorifies Laika, showing that was an extraordinary dog. While the footage highlights Laika’s abilities, the scenes of modern-day street dogs depict what kind of dog she was. Cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer uses disciplined photography to get the dogs’ point of view. The camera stays on the dogs throughout the film, never going above what their little eyes can see or taking the pair out of frame. Whether they are at a local concert looking for attention or hunting a cat in an apartment complex, the viewer witnesses the scene from the dog’s perspective. The result is beautiful, capturing the lives of self-reliant dogs in the city, while Moscow is seen in a new light, through the eyes of these amazing animals.
The dogs and their story are presented in a remarkable way. The film works best as a historical documentary, and gets lost when it tries to address the relationship between dogs and humans, as well as potential abusive behaviours. The voiceover describes their way of life, and the score sounds as if it were straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Without the theme of abuse being threaded throughout, however, the sudden change of tone is empty, with nothing to support it. This does not take away from the story that is told; in the end, the film is the true tale of Laika and the dogs that travelled into the great unknown. For both dog lovers and those interested in the space race, Space Dogs is a must-watch.