Roger Ebert memorably described Lawn Dogs as resembling an accident at the symbol factory, and it’s hard to disagree.
It is an interesting fairy-tale – literally – with 10 year old Devon, in a voice over, intoning the story of Babi Yaga the evil child-stealing witch who lives in a forbidden forest, while herself venturing (from a treeless home) into the forbidden wood (perhaps symbolic of the threshhold of adolescence).
Except that, as it becomes clear, enchanted wood-resident lawnmower man Trent isn’t Babi Yaga, but one of her potential victims. That this is the intent of the film is made clear in the final seconds when the film’s studied realism is completely abandoned to allow the hero to make good his escape with some rather unconvinving special effects.
Well, it’s a nice idea, but it’s uneven and not fully worked out. There are some curious and underdeveloped side-strands: especially Devon’s mother’s sexual proclivities (except to the extent this identifies her with the witch) and some shallowly-buried insinutations of sexual tensions between Trent and local spoilt rich kid Sean, who were apparently once third-grade classmates.
What rescues Lawn Dogs from incoherent oblivion is the compelling performance from the two leads, a great soundtrack and effectively marshalled dramatic tension: thematically we’re in dangerous territory, with an adult-child/poor boy-rich girl relationship developing in the heart of a (somewhat caricatured) reactionary community, and director Duigan draws us into the inevitable unpleasant denouement skilfully.
As the credits roll, it’s a bit of a head scratcher, but it’s done with enough style that it deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Director: John Duigan
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kathleen Quinlan, Mischa Barton
Runtime: 101 min
Country: UK
Film Rating: 
