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Dogs Don't Wear Pants

Play trailer 1:30 Poster for Dogs Don't Wear Pants 2019 1h 45m Drama Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
After a tragic event, Juha develops an unexpected but powerful connection with a dominatrix named Mona. His dangerous addiction to suffocation will lead them both down a wild, freaky path toward emotional enlightenment.
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Dogs Don't Wear Pants

Dogs Don't Wear Pants

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Critics Consensus

Dogs Don't Wear Pants will be too intense for many viewers, but for those who can take the punishment, there's pleasure in this stark drama's pain.

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Critics Reviews

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Film International 06/03/2020
The success of Dogs Don't Wear Pants lies in its genuine open mindedness to sexuality which underscores its thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and humanity. Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 03/24/2020
4/5
It is a serious, sometimes funny, occasionally disturbing and eventually joyful (a closing club-set scene is punch-the-air good) meditation on grief, loss and the healing power whips and chains. Go to Full Review
Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard 03/24/2020
4/5
The script takes all sorts of twists. The changes of pace and mood feel natural, and even when things get heavy, it's funny. Some viewers will groan with pleasure, some pain. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 06/18/2021
4/5
...a well-intentioned drama about a relationship forged on the edge of what society allows... Go to Full Review
Anna Swanson Film School Rejects 01/26/2021
With a gnarly nail removal that the French extremity genre would be proud of and a final scene that calls to mind the work of Claire Denis, it's safe to say that this is a film best experienced first hand rather than through a narrative summary. Go to Full Review
Tom Beasley Flickering Myth 08/20/2020
4/5
A deliciously devilish deadpan comedy with a surprisingly sweet final note of hope. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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acsdoug D @acsdoug 08/30/2023 Comedy? RT lists this as partly comedic? Really? A good story or at least a good ending could have overcome my distaste for the subject matter (or the implausible plot), but neither are present here. See more 08/19/2021 I thought my best films of the year nominations were fairly conclusive until Wednesday evening when Dogs Don't Wear Pants hit me in the face like a baseball bat. Not that the film is especially violent, it's just like nothing I've seen in a long time. We follow John, who tragically loses his wife at the beginning of the film, and subsequently continues his life looking after his daughter in the most monotonous way possible. Whilst bringing his daughter to get her tongue pierced, John stumbles upon a BDSM basement, where he meets Mona, a dominatrix who he forms a connection with as he discovers a dangerous addiction to asphyxiation that gives him an emotional connection with life itself, as well as some sort of peace with the past. It's difficult to explain just how it works and how well it does so, but as I type, this is in poll position for my film of the year, and I do not say that lightly. Not for the faint hearted, but this really is a piece of work, and I say that in the absolute best possible way. See more 08/13/2021 A painfully surprise! A magnetic tour de force which is not easy to see. A huge coctel of genres and textures that are not supposed to work together, but they do in an awesome, moving and deeply original way. See more guy p 10/27/2020 Weird discovery of emotions and separate journeys through BDSM. There are a lot of things left unexplained, but the ending was great. Lack of character development through acting leaves a lot to be desired. See more Marcus S 09/13/2020 A true crapfest of a movie. Ridiculous portrayal of BDSM, boring characters, thin plot, extremely unpleasant in all the wrong ways. One of the worst pieces of Finnish cinema - which is saying a lot, since Finnish cinema is abhorrent to begin with. See more 08/27/2020 An S&M love film. Good film production, but why would anyone watch this twice. See more Read all reviews
Dogs Don't Wear Pants

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a tragic event, Juha develops an unexpected but powerful connection with a dominatrix named Mona. His dangerous addiction to suffocation will lead them both down a wild, freaky path toward emotional enlightenment.
Director
Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää
Producer
Aleksi Bardy, Helen Vinogradov
Screenwriter
Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää, Juhana Lumme
Production Co
Helsinki Filmi Oy, Tasse Film
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Original Language
Finnish
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 6, 2020
Runtime
1h 45m
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