The movie is set in a village in the French Riviera whose name is mentioned only once ever. The main characters, Dog and Mirales, have been thick friends since the age of twelve. Their life is confined to their small village and their gaming and drinking parties, other than playing with Mirales' dog, Beefcake. Dog is aloof and disconnected from the world: he isn't very outgoing, doesn't talk until prompted and doesn't know where Quebec is. Mirales constantly taunts him for his lack of general knowledge, calling him un imbecile heureux (a happy idiot). Mirales himself is a low-key drug dealer with a surprising intellect, picking up knowledge from books and the French philosopher Montaigne.
The plot begins to unfold as Dog gives a ride to a girl in their village, returning from university in Nantes. They start seeing each other often, to the distaste of the jealous Mirales. He is shocked by Dog's lack of care about him and his never-before excitement about spending time with his new girlfriend. The all too common trope of a straight man torn between his love interest and his male friends.
The movie has a lot of messages. The characters are trapped in the small world of their village. No one is trying to escape, and no one wants to. Mirales, downtrodden as he is, is one of the few who have any sense of life outside their area. His world has been expanded by his habit of reading books and his love for philosophy. However, Mirales struggles to keep a good friendship with Dog and seems to secretly envy his life. Dog is the mirror image, the negative print, of Mirales. He does not know much about anything except the village, but is more successful with people. Like the villages of Kerala, this part of the French outback is also home to an aging population. There are few people there under 40 and almost of them are wasting their lives away to vice. The few who are staying afloat are struggling.
All in all, Chien de la Casse is a great watch for those who like art films. The institute is set to screen more movies in the days to come, and I can't wait for more.
