I won't try to be objective with this review because Baxter and Me is not a film that invites objectivity. Gillian Leahy recounts her history with dogs and the history of her latest dog, the chocolate Labrador, Baxter. She muses about the meaning of the events she recounts and the bigger implications of our lives with dogs. This is all done at an easy pace, without any great dramatic tension. Pretty shots are allowed to linger and Baxter is observed out and about and at home on his own, without any humans present. Leahy is not concerned with presenting herself as a good dog owner, or even as an interesting person; she trusts the viewer to find what makes this film compelling, and for me that worked. I was moved by the love she feels for her companion, by her struggles to make sense of a life that hasn't always gone to plan and by her courage in telling her story just as it is, with no embellishment. Watch this film with low expectations and an open heart and you will be rewarded.
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