Hector the Pup: A Ruff Watch

Should you watch Hector the Pup? Only if you are under the age of six or you really, really love watching dogs stare at things for long periods of time. If you’re looking for a plot that moves, or stakes that feel higher than a dropped sausage, you’re going to hate this.

It’s a weird little film. It feels less like a production and more like someone just pointed a camera at a backyard and hoped for the best. 🐶

The dog, Hector, is clearly a good boy, but he’s not exactly a trained actor. There’s a specific scene where he sits in front of a fence for a solid minute, just panting, while the camera stays static. It’s not experimental art. It’s just... footage.

John W. Burton is in it, I guess. He mostly just stands in the background looking like he’s wondering if he left the stove on. You can almost feel the crew trying to get the dog to look at the treat in his hand, but the dog is way more interested in a fly buzzing near his ear.

It’s got that same dusty, forgotten-in-the-attic energy you get from movies like The Elk's Tooth. You watch it and wonder who decided this needed to exist, and then you just sort of shrug and keep watching anyway.

I found myself zoning out about twenty minutes in. The sound design is surprisingly loud, with these jarring music stings that seem to happen whenever the dog moves his tail. It’s definitely not subtle.

It reminded me a bit of the awkward pacing in Midnight Daddies, though obviously a totally different vibe. Both movies have that distinct feeling of people just hanging out in front of a lens without a clear plan for the next scene.

Is it charming? Sometimes. There’s a moment where Hector trips over his own paws and just sort of gives up on the take, and they kept it in the final cut. That was the most honest part of the whole hour.

Don't expect a masterpiece. Don't even expect a coherent narrative. Just expect a dog, a camera, and a lot of grass. 🐾