Dog Altogether

2007 British film

23 August 2007 (2007-08-23)

Running time

16 minsCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Dog Altogether is a short film written and directed by Paddy Considine.^[1] The term "Dog Altogether" comes from an Irish expression that Considine's father used to use when situations got really bad. It was filmed on 22 January 2007 in Glasgow.

The lead role of Joseph is taken by Scottish actor/director Peter Mullan, who was hand-picked by Considine to play a role loosely based on Considine's late father (also called Joseph). Mullan is a winner of several BIFA and BAFTA best actor awards. British comedy actress Olivia Colman fills the supporting role as Anita. Colman, already having shot British comedy film Hot Fuzz with Considine, was approached to play the part due to her suitability for the role.

The story of this short was later expanded into the first Considine's feature film Tyrannosaur, with the same actors as the main characters.

Plot

Dog Altogether is the story of Joseph (Peter Mullan), a man who is plagued by a violence and rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As he falls further into turmoil, Joseph scours the landscape in search of a single grain of redemption that might restore hope to his fractured life.

Cast

Peter Mullan as Joseph
Olivia Colman as Anita
Karl Johnson as Jack
Paul Popplewell as Pub Youth 1
William Ruane as Pub Youth 2
Aston Kelly as Pub Youth 3
Mahesh Soneji as Man in Post Office
Gaurav Soodan as Youth in Post Office
Osman Mohammed as Youth 1
Patricia MacHugh as Barmaid
Dominic Curran as Kid in Street

Awards

2007: BAFTA award; Best Short Film.^[2]
2007: British Independent Film Awards; Best short film.
2007: Venice Film Festival: Silver Lion for Best Short Film.
2007: Seattle International Film Festival Short Film Jury Award (Narrative Special Jury Prize).
2007: Edinburgh International Film Festival; 2nd place for Best British Short. Special Mention^[3]

References

^ "Paddy Considine: Blood and guts | Film". Theguardian.com. 10 September 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
^ Sarah Morrison (19 February 2012). "Britain enters a golden era of the short film - News - Films". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
^ Mehaffey, Colan (26 August 2007). "And the winner is... | All News | News | Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015". Edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2015.