Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog

Released May 18, 2012

1h 40m

Drama

List

80%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A Labrador retriever named Quill begins specialized training as a guide dog from an early age, then the canine is paired with a blind man who is initially reluctant to rely on his new partner.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

It's surprisingly unsentimental in its depiction of people with disabilities, and the scenes of guide-dog training are informative.

May 24, 2012

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Rob Humanick

Slant Magazine

The exquisite live-action Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog may be the family film of the year.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 22, 2012

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Andy Webster

New York Times

Its principal selling point - the supreme watchability of dogs, especially working dogs - is undeniably powerful.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 18, 2012

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S. Jhoanna Robledo

Common Sense Media

Charming subtitled drama shows healing power of dogs.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2012

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James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Quill is a drama that feels like a documentary . . . or vice versa. And that makes it kind of a strange animal.

Rated: 6/10

Jul 7, 2012

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Kent Turner

Film-Forward.com

[The director] delivers a sentimental tale for dog lovers, grounded by the man-and-his-dog bond that has made the novels Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller perennially popular.

Rated: 3/4

May 18, 2012

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Audience Member

An absolutely lovely film that is more realistic than sentimental when compared to other films like this. I actually found that the film was also informative when explaining about guide dog training too. The ending, as you can imagine, is a little heartbreaking though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

A movie about a dog. Enough said.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

"Good..Goood.." Yoichi Sai..another good filmmaker that I would look backwards to his previous projects,soon or later.The dog probably is the best attention's stealer,yet you too will be trapped by the story and Sir Yoichi Sai's shooting skill,it filmed in a realistic way.Doesn't matter this is related to actual event or Dog lovers,just go for it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

I remember this movie in my Japanese class. Throughout the movie, Quill has related to my family's dog as well, yet all good things had to come to an end. Hopefully this heartfelt movie will inspire me to get closer to my cousin's new pet dog.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2013/03/quill-life-of-guide-dog.html

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

This film was absolutely adorable! I have to admit that my knowledge of guide dogs and what they endure in training is slightly limited, but I have such a profound respect for these gentle souls and their lifelong dedication of serving humans with needs. This particular guide dog, Quill, is truly memorable- so much patience and understanding. His love for Mr. Watanabe (and vice versa) on several film spots almost brought me to tears. Please note that this film is set in subtitles but if you're a fan of films of all range this is definitely one you shouldn't miss. I highly recommend this film!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Yôichi Sai

Director

Kaoru Kobayashi

Watanabe Mitsuru

Kippei Shiina

Tawada Satoru

Teruyuki Kagawa

Isamu Nii

Keiko Toda

Yoshiko Watanabe

Shinobu Terajima

Mitsuko Nii

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Critics Consensus: Battleship Is All Wet

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Synopsis

A Labrador retriever named Quill begins specialized training as a guide dog from an early age, then the canine is paired with a blind man who is initially reluctant to rely on his new partner.

Director: Yôichi Sai
Producer: Ichirô Yamamoto
Screenwriter: Shoichi Maruyama, Yoshihiro Nakamura
Distributor: Music Box Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): May 18, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.1K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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