A Dog’s-Eye View: Experiencing Good Boy
I went into the preview of Good Boy not knowing quite what to expect. It’s one of those films that feels deceptively simple at first—a man and his dog—but it quickly starts to work on you in quiet, unsettling ways. What begins as a story of companionship turns into something far more layered, and I only slowly began to realise what the film was truly about.
The Story (Through What I Saw)
The story is told from the perspective of Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. It begins when his owner, Todd, moves back into his family’s old house in the countryside. Indy observes more than he acts. He moves through hallways, listens to creaks, and looks toward spaces that seem still but somehow alive.
Much of the film’s unease comes from those moments when nothing seems to happen, but you feel something shift. Todd doesn’t always see what Indy senses; their worlds overlap, but never fully align. As a viewer, I found myself watching the edges of the frame, scanning the darkness just as Indy does, waiting for meaning to surface.
And gradually, it does—but not in a way that needs to be explained. The film becomes less about horror or mystery and more about trust, instinct, and the quiet bond between a dog and his person. I won’t say how or when it all clicked for me, only that I left the cinema thinking differently about what I’d actually seen—and what Indy might have been trying to tell us all along.
This is the official trailer –
I don’t usually enjoy thrillers. Was it scary? Maybe a few times, I felt a tinge of fear. George and Lulu slept through it, and the other dogs, too. On reflection, it was more about the deeply meaningful message about our dogs.
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Good Boy
The film was directed by Ben Leonberg, who also co-produced it with Kari Fischer. Together, they crafted a production that revolves almost entirely around a single canine performance. That in itself is unusual—there’s no CGI stand-in, no voiceover narration, no anthropomorphism. Just a dog named Indy, who happens to be their real-life pet.
Leonberg’s dual role as producer and director seems to have been key to achieving that intimacy. Without the typical studio interference or time pressure, the film breathes. Scenes unfold slowly, organically—mirroring the way a dog experiences the world: sensory, immediate, instinctive.
Filming with a dog as the central character demanded patience and adaptability. The team reportedly adjusted the shooting schedule around Indy’s natural rhythm, capturing genuine reactions instead of rehearsed cues. The result is a film that feels grounded and intimate, as if the camera is quietly translating a dog’s consciousness without words.
One to watch for Halloween. A horror movie as seen from a dog’s prespective.
It was released in the United States on October 3.
The movie Good Boy is being released in UK theaters on Friday, 10 October. Show times at Cineworld and Picturehouse.
