MovieChat Forums > Lawn Dogs (1998) Discussion > a love story-plain, but not simple

a love story-plain, but not simple

posted 18 years ago by edwawee
18 replies | jump to latest

i am a big fan of this film. but to be honest my feeling is that this is a love story. love has many definitions and can be expressed in many different ways, but its clear (atleast to me) that trent loved devon and devon loved trent.i really don't want to get into the "a 10 year old girl is too young to know what love is" disscussion. but its very obvious that the movie has a underlying theme of love between the main two characters. the world we live in is not ready to accept, think about, or even discuss the idea that two people like the main characters (devon and trent) in "lawn dogs", could actually be in love with each other. so obviously a film that dealt with the theme of love between people devon and trents age, would probably never be made. if it was made it would probably be condemed or dimissed as "perverse" so quickly that noone would see it. i think the intent of the filmmaker was to show love between people like devon and trent is possible, but it had to be done in a way that wouldn't stir up the "public". the film "lawn dogs", is ahead of its time because it actually deals with a subject that most people are too "afraid" to deal with. but despite people's fear, the reality of the love between devon and trent's characters was clear, present, and undeniable. im sure this type of love is present in true life also, but the present state of the world we live in is ready to "crucify" anyone who even considers that true love is possible btween people like devon and trent. what happened to trent toward the end of the film is proof of this "crucifiction".
lawn dogs is a very brave film.
"home is in my hands"-devon to trent.

[–] mfcuk 18 years ago

Just out of interest, are you a paedophile?

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] edwawee 18 years ago

scander3, thanks for having an open mind.

*beep* are you a complete idiot?

[–] edwawee 18 years ago

i was attempting to ask the poster, who asked me if i was a pedophile, if he was a complete idiot. from the question he asked me, i think the answer is clear.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Raksha_Keller 18 years ago

edawee is right. And that paedophile question was just dumb. You could have asked edawee more in detail his conclusion as to why it is a love story and not be so dumb.
Love comes in many forms and not all has to be sexual, though there is no denying Devon and Trent loved each other.
(also i'm a teenage girl)

[–] crooked_spoons 18 years ago

I feel the same way as edawee, and im a teenaged girl.

"I worship you, i need you, I w a n t you"[!]

[–] edwawee 18 years ago

HOME IS IN MY HANDS.

DEVON TO TRENT.

[–] YeBoiii 18 years ago

well... i was thinking about it after i caught the second half of the film just a few mins ago. maybe, just maybe, if you screwed a 10 yr old, the only reason it would *beep* her up, is because people constantly say "it will *beep* you up to have sex at such a young age". know what i mean? like, people creating their own reality. maybe the fact that having sex with young girls is seen as "perverse", makes the girl think its perverse, and phux with them? or something. its hard to explain, but i think i got that out right.

[–] InUrFridge 18 years ago

I'd have to say that it was purely platonic love, like that between a very close brother and sister (although Im no real expert on this being an only child) and that both Trent and Devon were searching for companionship and found it in an unlikely place.

Im not really sure what the little boy represented in the film but as he is the only other child we actually see from Camelot Gardens for more than a few frames (you do see some others at the barbecue) I think that the director was trying to show that there was nothing for Devon in her neighbourhood.
I was then going to say that whereas that was the case in Camelot Gardens the child we see at Trent's old house was nice and friendly but then it occured to me thatshe did exactly the same thing as the little boy dressed as an 'Indian' did: pretending to shoot a gun at Devon. Funnily enough then, the only people to wield guns in the entire film are children. I don't know what all this is about and I'm completely off topic now so...

It's also clear that Trent has no sexual feelings for Devon, the director handily put the sex scene in to show to the audience that he (Trent) wasn't sexually repressed or anything and then by his questions to the girl afterwards - which she obviously doesn't realise are sincere - we see that what he really wants are commitment and to share time with somebody.

_____________

A Plane. With Snakes On It. On DVD.

[–] silversusi 18 years ago

i agree it was obvious he wasn't attracted to her, they were just really good friends because they were both ageless people and therefore there wasn't an issue with maturity or age, they were both mature enough to see past stupid social rules that say you only have to have friends your own age.

of course they loved each other but it was platonic love.

[–] The_SunshineUnderground 18 years ago

i thought they were in love but ocmpletely non sexually on both sides, like dirk in Death in Venice

I'm out for a good time - all the rest is propaganda

[–] willywonka35 17 years ago

edwawee, thats an interesting interpretation you have for the film, but I strongly disagree. It is possible for an adult and a child to form a bond between one another and it be nonsexual. I think you are seeing things that just aren't there.

However, I do agree that this film comes pretty damn close to walking a fine line. When watching the film, I kept expecting it to take a dark turn, but it never did.

I like the film as it is, but had this been a foreign film(especially if someone like Takeshi Miike or Chan Wook Park got ahold of the story), it would have been entirely different and the relationship would have been in a much darker vein and been extremely controversial.

http://www.gnrevolution.com

[–] edwawee 17 years ago

ok santa, i hear the "point" you are making, and i respect it.

but i never said the "relationship" between trent and devon was sexual or anything of that nature.

im simply saying that there was more (much more) to the story of devon and trent, than the "filmmakers" could (or would) show.

what the "nature" of the "relationship" between "trent and devon", was (or is), is up for debate.

but the film "lawndogs" (imo), is without question a "love story".

the world we live in, is clearly NOT ready to think about the idea of "love" between characters like 'devon and trent'.

so the idea of "love" between them had to be "sugar coated" or "toned-down", as not to incur "public outrage".

we all have our thoughts about this film (lawndogs), but for me this movie (lawndogs), is a POWERFUL story of LOVE between 'trent and devon'.

[–] willywonka35 17 years ago

If you don't think it was sexual in nature, then what is it in your mind that the film makers couldn't show?? If it is a love story, its one sided love(Devon). The male character pretty much spends half the movie trying to get the girl out of his life. He's too busy with his mundane life and screwing local women to take any real interest in this girl. An unlikely friendship winds up developing. There's really nothing in this story to insinuate that he loves her. Even devon's so called love is just an immature girl trying to adjust to her life, and develops a bond with this guy.

Was there potential in this story for it to take a strange turn? Sure.

This is an interesting film. Its like they wanted to take the story in an unconventional direction, but held back. You can feel it in many scenes in the film. I think this is why you believe its some sort of love story that required "sugar coating". You are reading between the lines of the scenes.

[–] ExAxLxPx12 15 years ago

i agree that they loved each other, but they loved each other as friends. there was nothing sexual about it. people can love and not have sex involved and that was this movie, a loving friendship.

[–] adaisytea 15 years ago

I think it's a love story too. I love reading in between the lines of scenes, behavior, lines. I think what we are left with is the idea that when she's old enough, the relationship will further develop if they ever find one another again. They probably won't, is what I would think. Just another movie that leaves it up to our imaginations, which is a device I'm growing tired of, but seeing this movie was so refreshing. I think it's another interesting point that only the children wield guns in this movie. Roles are switched. Devon controls so many of the situations. Trent is the more-innocent of the two.

[–] doldrums452 15 years ago

They loved each other as friends, but that's pretty much it. In fact, the idea of two people who cannot be more different being friends is so awesome and rare, I would have been disappointed had they gone in that direction such as Devon having a crush or something. There should be more movies like this, movies in which females and males can be best of friends, soulmates even, but don't necessarily need romantic love. There is a beauty in the main characters' innocence and in their connection, which is hard to understand by a cynical society. Anyway, that's just what I thought and I may be wrong, but for me it's more special and personal interpreting it that way.

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