The behind-the-scenes production of Year of the Dog
Lack of communication in life
The Year of the Pig talks about dog things. The film uses dogs as a medium to tell the fact that modern people still have poor communication. Director Mike White said: "The content of the film does contain a lot of obsessive thoughts, but I don't think the characters here are all extreme people. They just encounter some kind of confusion in the pursuit of happiness. , They feel that Peggy deserves happiness, but they don't know that the happiness in Peggy's eyes is different from theirs. "The "them" in White's mouth refers to Peggy's boss Robin, although he is not materially rich. She has achieved unprecedented success, but has not experienced the taste of happiness; and her brother and sister-in-law, the young parents' time is almost taken up by their children; and Leila, Peggy's colleague and best friend, she is... Going through the crucial step from singleness to marriage... Indeed, the characters in the story seem to be extremely stubborn, too obsessed with their own lives and unable to listen to the advice of others. Although this is not a manifestation of selfishness, it is often There will be consequences for doing the wrong thing with good intentions. Therefore, "Year of the Dog" expresses a comment on "failure", implying that pets have become a bridge between friendship and a comfortable life.
The film is the directorial debut of Mike White, who has written for "Orange Boy", "Catcher Girl" and "School of Rock". He said that during the creation process, Peggy The character was written with reference to Molly Shannon: "I knew Shannon could play the part, and in a way, Shannon was the real-life model for Peggy, she was a An incredible comedian, very professional and well-trained."
Molly Shannon is undoubtedly best known for her six years on "Saturday Night Live." The reason why Mike White admires Shannon so much is because they both worked together on the short-lived TV series "Cracking Up". White hopes that Shannon will present Peggy as "essentially a very kind person who just lost herself because she was off the track of life. In the end, she got rid of the endless confusion, including the things she didn't need in her life." people". White's view on the character is: "I think Peggy is a naive and romantic person, but a little ignorant in a way. However, I don't want to set her up to be an eccentric antique that has been forgotten by time. I just want to make her an eccentric person." It just makes her look a little special."
About the supporting role
John C. Reilly, who was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for "Chicago". C. Reilly) played Peggy’s neighbor Al. This character was originally very sympathetic and had a romantic relationship with Peggy, but now he has become the target of her anger, just because of "pencils" "He died inexplicably in the back garden of his house. Reilly said: "Mike White told me that Al is the most difficult character in the film to understand, that he is just an ordinary person living a kind of ordinary life. However, when you compare him with other people, , such as Peggy, his behavior will be very strange. "As a suitor around Peggy, Al unfortunately became a new enemy of the radical animal protection organization.
Peter Sarsgaard plays Newt in the film, the man who made Peggy join the extreme animal protection organization, but indirectly caused her to have no love for any form. All filled with frustration. According to Mike White, there should be some unconventional ambiguous feelings between Peggy and Newt: "The love Newt showed was always passionate, and he never thought about changing this situation. He is very pure, very stable... Peggy found that she seemed to fall in love with such a man." After "Pencil" died, Newt gave Peggy another dog to make up for her trauma. He knew what he was doing. , Sarsgaard said: "She doesn't need a dog that is too expensive. She just wants a dog that needs her help, so that she can distract herself from missing the 'pencil'."
Zeng was famous for " Laura Dern, who was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress in "Rambling Rose", appears in the film as Peggy's sister-in-law Burrett. Mike White's idea for this role is: "Once you have children, your world suddenly becomes smaller because everything you do is for your children, and you neurotically believe that the environment around you is dangerous for children. Peggy was more like a loyal audience to her sister-in-law, listening to all the passions and anxieties of her brother and sister-in-law. When the situation was reversed and Peggy was confused because of the loss of her beloved pet dog, they could not understand her. "There's so much emotion invested in a dog, so they let her down," Dunn said. They, so she can't see anything else, and it's really fun to play this kind of neurotic character.
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For Peggy’s colleague and best friend Layla, played by Regina King, this film may well represent a turning point in her acting career. , Mike White praised her highly: "I can guarantee 100% that you have never seen her appear in this form. "Regina King has always been one of Mike White's favorite actors: "Layla has love, she has found a man, and she is getting married soon, and she takes it for granted that Peggy must have something similar. trouble. ”
Indeed, "Year of the Dog" is commendable not only for its performances, but also for its script. Being able to bring real characters to the big screen intact is not an easy task in itself. The film was inspired by the real-life experience of Mike White, who had a cat in his garden who died in his arms on Christmas Day: “I experienced unimaginable heartache, even unimaginable pain. I can believe that everything I once had is over. When the cat died, it happened to be a time when I was stressed due to excessive work. I really needed his company. After it died, all my life began to spiral out of control... At that time, I thought, maybe this feeling would be a good material for a movie. I can write this experience into a script to commemorate the life that passed away. I've always thought it would be fun to make a movie about animals, but now I realize it's a lot more complicated than making a typical family movie. I wanted the script to explore the relationship between adults and animals, but also mix in some humor and melancholy. "
With the efforts and support of all the actors, Mike White finally regarded "Dog Years" as his screen debut. Peter Sarsgaard said: "The film represents Mike White's love for the film. His insights into this macroscopic view of the world are very unique. Without a heart that beats for life, he would not have discovered so many elements of humor. He can always find something very realistic, but he never judges anyone from a high level. This film contains too many personal emotions. Besides Mike White, is there a better director? ”
Highlights
·The film was entirely shot in Mike White’s birthplace, southern California. He hoped that the hot and sunny weather there could be combined with Peggy’s painful experience. A stark contrast.