Bizarre but truly original French thriller/black comedy that is strangely scary and disturbing even though you damn well know that the premise is pure and far-fetched fiction. The titular 'character' is a cool-looking bull terrier whose thoughts and impressions we follow throughout the entire movie. Baxter's life isn't very easy, as he keeps ending up with the wrong guardians. At first, he's given as a present to an elderly lady who clearly fears him and doesn't really want him in her house. When the lady dies under 'mysterious circumstances', Baxter is donated to the young and cheerful couple that lives on the other side of the street. For quite a while, everything goes well and Baxter is really happy in his new family
Until the couple's first baby is born. Baxter doesn't understand why he receives no more attention all of a sudden and sees the infant as a real threat for his own happiness. Baxter's final guardian is a lonely and introvert 11-year-old boy who teaches him tricks and commands. The kid has a dangerous interest in Hitler's persona, however, and he slowly turns Baxter into an aggressive killing machine. It may sound unbelievable, but I assure you it's very unsettling to hear a DOG hatching plots to kill people! Although there's absolutely no violence shown on screen, there are some very macabre things going on in this film and the atmosphere is almost unbearably tense. During several of Baxter's twisted monologues, you wonder what exactly goes on in the mind of man's best friend. We can all assume that our pets love us unconditionally, but who says they're not plotting to get rid of us? Also one of the reasons why Baxter comes across so spooky is because he talks through a very grim and monotonous voice. The actor who's credited as Baxter's voice Maxime Leroux would sure do a great job as a host of horror anthologies, or something. I particularly loved the climax of this ingenious French film. It shows that, no matter how egocentric and mean the dog is, it'll always be the human mind that is the most deranged
even when it's a child. Don't expect a happy ending here! Highly recommended!!
