A movie that slowly reels you in & destroys you with an ending that brings you back to life.

Comedy? RT lists this as partly comedic? Really? A good story or at least a good ending could have overcome my distaste for the subject matter (or the implausible plot), but neither are present here.

This movie had me thinking like I was Aristotle or Heidegger.

I thought my best films of the year nominations were fairly conclusive until Wednesday evening when Dogs Don't Wear Pants hit me in the face like a baseball bat. Not that the film is especially violent, it's just like nothing I've seen in a long time. We follow John, who tragically loses his wife at the beginning of the film, and subsequently continues his life looking after his daughter in the most monotonous way possible. Whilst bringing his daughter to get her tongue pierced, John stumbles upon a BDSM basement, where he meets Mona, a dominatrix who he forms a connection with as he discovers a dangerous addiction to asphyxiation that gives him an emotional connection with life itself, as well as some sort of peace with the past. It's difficult to explain just how it works and how well it does so, but as I type, this is in poll position for my film of the year, and I do not say that lightly. Not for the faint hearted, but this really is a piece of work, and I say that in the absolute best possible way.

A painfully surprise! A magnetic tour de force which is not easy to see. A huge coctel of genres and textures that are not supposed to work together, but they do in an awesome, moving and deeply original way.

Weird discovery of emotions and separate journeys through BDSM. There are a lot of things left unexplained, but the ending was great. Lack of character development through acting leaves a lot to be desired.

A true crapfest of a movie. Ridiculous portrayal of BDSM, boring characters, thin plot, extremely unpleasant in all the wrong ways. One of the worst pieces of Finnish cinema - which is saying a lot, since Finnish cinema is abhorrent to begin with.

An S&M love film. Good film production, but why would anyone watch this twice.

This one may prove difficult for some viewers to watch as it deals with some pretty dark stuff but ultimately, Dogs Don't Wear Pants has a tale of love and understanding at heart, twisted though it may be. It concerns the tale of a Norwegian man, Juha, grieving after the tragic death of his wife. Following an accident, he has to raise his daughter by himself and try to rebuild their lives. A chance encounter leads him to discover the world of sadomasochism and he becomes infatuated with a local dominatrix. Some of the scenes in this movie made me squirm as it doesn't hold back in its depiction of bondage and extreme sex but it is definitely not a pornographic movie and there are some genuinely funny and moving scenes as well. You have to hand it to lead actors Pekka Strong as Juha and Krista Kosonen as Mona for their dedication to their art as this is probably about as graphic a mainstream movie you could see and director J-P Valkeapää clearly has a dark imagination but this movie is unlike anything I've ever seen and really makes the viewer question the notion of love and redemption. The difficult subject matter is handled with care and, while unarguably graphic, this is very far from gratuitous.

Some of the characterisation work and narrative isn't as clear as it needed to be, but this film is an entrancing one that is delicately filmed and well scored.

Dogs Don't Wear Pants is an excellent example of "show don't tell." Masterfully built with excellent acting and photographic composition, then playfully punctuated with subtle touches of humor. Although it is sparse on dialogue sorrow is viscerally conveyed. It will make you squirm in agony and humiliation then cry with cathartic joy.

Aww, such a sweetheart of a movie. Just two lonely souls looking for a little release, a little companionship, and to get their rocks off in their own, umm...suffocating ways. Strang and Kosonen are equally impressive as our two main people of interest, with each playing a character within a character within.... Strong work by J.-P. Valkeapää, Juhana Lumme in the writing and directing of this powerful work. We all grieve in our own way(s), just as we try to sort out our minds in our own individual struggle. This film is about that, but also about the innate need for connection with those who understand and empathize. It is also about the pure joy and relief we can experience on the other side. 3.8 stars TBR