Eliot & Me

A beautifully made drama about an independent and determined kid, Lucy (the sublime Ella Connolly) and her dog Eliot. When the dog goes missing, Lucy faces catastrophe. Her father's run off with another woman, her mother is seeing another guy, she is bullied at school, her friend Ben has returned to London and the dog is gone. What impressed me most about this film was how you always know what Lucy is feeling. This is partly because of the wonderfully expressive actress playing the part, and partly because it is easy to recall how we felt about things as children and recognize how we would react to the clearly drawn situations of the film. It is also remarkable because while most movies let you know what characters think simply by having them talk endlessly, Lucy keeps her words short and to the point and the adults around her never seem to explain things as much as they ought to. Eliot is her companion, an abandoned Yorkshire Terrier. This film is so focused on Lucy that I tended to feel whatever she was feeling, and as her feelings and understanding evolved during the film, mine did as well. The movie feels very authentic. It feels very realistic and believable. The director finds the perfect collaborator in Ella Connolly (first seen in Wake Wood. She has a natural screen presence. And the dog acquits himself well. This is a quiet, thoughtful movie. I became more and more drawn in as I watched it, and found the final scene especially touching.