With about two weeks to go until Venice Film Festival unveils its lineup, one title heavily tipped for a premiere is Luc Besson’s Dogman. Led by Caleb Landry Jones, the film tells the story of a child, bruised by life, who will find his salvation through the love of his dogs while experimenting with gender expression. Ahead of a likely Venice bow and a release in France this September––moved back from earlier after a strong response from early screenings––the first trailer has now arrived.
After recently being cleared of rape charges, Besson is looking for a career comeback. Despite the wonky fun of Valerian, his last film to really make a mark was nearly a decade ago with the immensely entertaining Lucy. His latest seems like a more focused dramatic play with a promising lead performance for Caleb Landry Jones, who won the top acting prize at Cannes for Nitram.
See the trailer below.
Dogman opens on September 27 in France and is seeking U.S. distribution.