MovieChat Forums > Year of the Dog (2007) Discussion > Tragic, not heroic, character

Tragic, not heroic, character

posted 17 years ago by mkd133-34
4 replies | jump to latest

I've read a couple of posts here and it seems like most people are of the thought that the Peggy character had this great awakening. That she finally came to realize her true purpose in life.

I saw it more as the story of the downfall of the character. When we first meet her she is simply a dog lover. A lover of a specific dog, Pencil. When the dog dies she knows who truly is at fault...herself. But rather than deal with that possibilty she begins a journey of blaming others and exhibiting over the top behavior to compensate for her own guilt. Which I believe she realizes late in the film when there is a flashback of the dog in the yard at night, but she is still unable to overcome it.

The character is ultimately a tragic character with heroic delusions.

Didn't like the flick, but can't go wrong with Cat Stevens - I Love My Dog.

The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!

[–] mhsmocktrial 17 years ago

I basically agree and I'm glad to see someone else did not see this as PETA propaganda but recognized Peggy as deeply flawed. I do disagree to a certain extent though that Peggy has fallen apart because while I think her entry into animal rights was an over the top guilt trip that might just impress a guy and lead her far down a dark, psychotic road, I think ultimately it helped her realize why Pencil's death hurt so much. In accepting the current people in her life had repeatedly let her down, her once rather hurried adoption of animal rights philosophy helps her find a group of people with whom she can connect.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] CFKane-3 17 years ago

You know, I can almost respect this movie in that light. I just couldn't imagine how such an obviously talented writer could create such a nuanced script and forget a little thing like CHARACTER GROWTH!!! I don't see how she overcame the loneliness and isolation that the filmmaker set up as obvious problems early on. (She was still alone at the end on a bus full of "her" people for goodness sake!)

Her addiction to animal sites was like pornography. I truly thought she was going to walk away at the end and just enjoy her friend's company at lunch. Instead, she jumped back into a fanaticism that seemed to be portrayed as near-cult like (or at the least, clearly out of balance.) A few people seem to believe she's been empowered throughout the movie, but I felt like it was clear that her obsession owned her, not the other way around.

This could be a fascinating portrait on how someone becomes, "the crazy dog lady" if the ending didn't have that false ring of hope and heroic overcoming.

[–] VStarkwell 17 years ago

It's refreshing to see a script not follow the hollywood rules. That a story doesn't have to have 3 acts, a happy ending or even end with a resolution. There really are a bunch of differen kinds of people out there. But I agree that though she was being true to herself at the same time she became a real nut. It's like a schizophrenic person who would rather live in a hallucination than take their medication and become a zombie. That is a tragedy.