Baxter (1989)

Her daughter Florence gives Mrs. Deville bull-terrier Baxter as a surprise present. Although she's afraid of him, she doesn't want to give him away because she feels lonely. But Baxter has ... See full summary »

Director:

Jérôme Boivin

Writers:

Jacques Audiard, Jérôme Boivin,

Stars:

Lise Delamare, Jean Mercure, Jacques Spiesser

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lise Delamare	...	Madame Deville
Jean Mercure	...	Monsieur Cuzzo
Jacques Spiesser	...	Michel Ferrer
Catherine Ferran	...	Florence Morel
Jean-Paul Roussillon	...	Joseph Barsky
Sabrina Leurquin	...	Noelle
Daniel Rialet	...	Jean
Evelyne Didi	...	Marie Cuzzo
Rémy Carpentier	...	Roger Morel
Jany Gastaldi	...	Anne Ferrer
François Driancourt	...	Charles
Ève Ziberlin	...	Veronique
Malcom Scrannage	...	Jean-Jean
Léa Gabriele	...	Eva Braun
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maxime Leroux	...	Baxter (voice)

Storyline

Her daughter Florence gives Mrs. Deville bull-terrier Baxter as a surprise present. Although she's afraid of him, she doesn't want to give him away because she feels lonely. But Baxter has his own ideas - he longs to be dominated, to be challenged - and so he isn't content with his boring life with the old lady. To get rid of her, he causes an accident. It works, and he's given to the neighbors, a young couple. He's happy... for a while. When they get a baby, he again takes action.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | puppy | killing a dog | animal death | dog actor | 

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Taglines:

Beware of the dog who thinks

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language, violent images and sexual content

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 January 1989 (France)

Also Known As:

Bell mir das Lied vom Tod

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alicéléo, Christian Bourgois Productions, Gérard Mital Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You: Baxter

User Reviews

Interesting, dark film

I rented Baxter based upon the recommendation of a video store clerk and am glad that I did. The film was unique in that it is shot from the perspective of a dog...but rather than anthropomorphizing the dog, it makes a great attempt to capture what an animal's actual perspective might be. In doing so, it also challenges those conceits which lead people to lay claim to being a "higher" species. The movie achieves this by juxtaposing the behavior of Baxter, who acts without malice but rather out of pure natural impulse, with that of the humans he encounters. By creating this contrast, the film does an excellent job of holding up a mirror to the darker elements of human nature. I'm very glad that I saw this film and would highly recommend it.