Dzhulbars: A Dog, A Mission, And Not Much Else

Is it worth your time?

Look, if you have a soft spot for movies where the dog is the smartest person in the room, then sure, go for it. It’s an old-fashioned rescue flick that doesn’t waste time on subtext. But if you’re the type who gets bored when the camera lingers on a desert horizon for a minute too long, you might want to skip this one. 🏜️

The whole thing feels like a dusty, sun-bleached postcard from another era. We start with a caravan getting ambushed, and honestly, the bandits are exactly as cartoonish as you’d expect. They don’t have much going on besides looking mean and yelling, which is fine, I guess. It’s not trying to be Tannenberg or some grand epic.

Then there is Dzhulbars. The dog is the only reason to really lean into this. He’s got this intense, serious face, like he’s constantly checking the perimeter while the humans are busy posing. There’s a moment where he just stares down the bandit leader, and it’s arguably the best acting in the whole hour. The human actors? They’re okay, but they mostly serve as props for the dog to rescue.

The action is sparse, which feels a bit weird for a movie about a border conflict. It’s more about the tension of being a hostage than the actual fighting. Sometimes, the silence in the desert scenes feels a little too heavy. It makes you wonder if they just ran out of dialogue or if they just really liked the wind sounds.

It’s nowhere near as polished as something like My Gal Sal, but it has this raw, scratchy charm. The way the light hits the sand during the long trek scenes… it’s actually kind of nice, even if the plot is just trudging from point A to point B. Also, I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background of the border camp is just standing there reading a newspaper. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Random observations:

• The dog gets more close-ups than the main hero. Smart choice.
• The bandits have surprisingly clean clothes for people living in the middle of nowhere.
• I think I counted three different scenes of people just drinking water from a canteen.
• The music is a bit much, especially during the quiet scenes.

If you’re looking for a complicated plot with twists, you’re in the wrong place. This is just a simple, dusty afternoon watch. It’s not trying to change your life. It’s just trying to tell a story about a dog and some guys in hats, and honestly, that’s plenty.