Melodramatic films featuring dogs have been winning at the box office and in people’s affections for many years. There are countless examples, such as the movie “Marley and Me” (2008), where a gentle golden retriever changes a family’s life for the better; Or “Always By Your Side” (2009), inspired by a true story where a loyal dog waits for his deceased owner in front of a train station for years. In recent years, there have been other successes, such as “Four lives of a dog” (2017), “On the way home” or “Caramelo”, the recent premiere that has attracted the attention of the audience on Netflix.
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The latest national production tells the story of Pedro, a chef, played by Rafael Vitti, who is about to realize his dream of running his own restaurant when a caramel dog (played by the obedient Amenduim) invades his house on a rainy night. A dog, in addition to being a companion, helps you overcome challenges, such as a diagnosis that can change your life forever.
Since its debut on the platform, on October 8, the production has made history and broken records. It recorded the best release week for a Brazilian film in the history of streaming and entered the top 10 out of 90 different countries and regions, becoming the national title with the largest reach on the platform. By mid-October, the film had received more than 15 million views.
The formula for success is not magical or original, but what achieves it is the film’s Brazilian character, as the term “caramel mongrel” has become popular as a way to name mixed-breed dogs in Brazil. This animal is easy to find on the streets of Brazilian cities, and has become an unofficial symbol of the country. Not surprisingly, one of the questions that comes up the most when it comes to production is whether or not the puppy “dies in the end.”
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– It took me a while to watch it because I didn’t want the dog to die at the end. Only after I discovered its results did I have the courage to watch, says psychologist and psychoanalyst Fabiana Juntovic.
According to the expert, it is precisely this identification with dogs’ experiences that makes these films so emotional and easy to cry over. The animal acts as a symbolic mirror, an embodiment of everything that humans need to deal with, but cannot, such as frustrations, challenges, and complex human relationships. He is able to reveal human pains that cannot be resolved, such as the limitations of life and injustice, for example.
– Our defense declines because the dog is a safe and reliable love, where there is certainty that if you treat him well, he will love you, and will not abandon you, betray you or reject you, as others do. It is a very deep connection, an unconditional love, that we, as human beings, would love to experience and, therefore, cannot bear to see that love die or suffer. We find ourselves faced with the loss of non-negotiable values such as the loss of innocence, loyalty, justice and the relentless cruelty that affects a vulnerable being like a puppy – explains the psychoanalyst.
This projection is also another reason for the emotional flourishes in these productions. When watching a movie in the presence of dogs, our mirror neurons are activated and we tend to feel and experience the emotions caused by the dog.
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– When it comes to dogs, our psychological defenses break down. We can doubt a person, his actions, his emotions or his interests. I wonder why this person is with me or next to me, but the dog is not. They are loyal, loving, kind, and protective, without needing anything in return. There is no need to be afraid or doubt your actions, explains psychologist Christian Moreira, member of the Brazilian Psychological Society.
In the face of the impossibility of justifying these feelings, catharsis comes. – Releasing pent-up feelings through crying. This action is nothing more than a physiological and psychological response of emotional self-regulation, which helps us relieve emotional stress and restore body balance.
According to Gontovich, people are no longer accustomed to being open or allowing themselves to be vulnerable on a daily basis, even in the face of all the difficulties they face. Socially, crying or getting emotional is a sign of weakness and jeopardizes people’s perception of our strength and power.
The movie with the dog puts us in touch with emotions, feelings, concepts and inner values that we have not been in touch with for a long time due to these external barriers that we create in our daily lives.
– This accumulation, when he finds the symbol of unconditional love, vulnerability and innocence, in the form of a dog, becomes uncontrollable and ends up being abandoned. It shows a state of real weakness. “The film gives us poetic license to feel in a more socially acceptable way,” Juntowicz says.
Another reason for so much crying and emotion is the relationship that developed between humans and dogs over thousands of years of co-evolution that gave dogs special ways of tuning into our voices, faces, and even our brain chemistry.
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When humans and dogs make eye contact, even slightly, they can release oxytocin, or the love hormone, as it is popularly known. For example, a study conducted by Mahattanville College in New York showed that dog owners are happier and more conscientious than cat owners, in large part due to the release of this substance.
Another study conducted in 2016, broadcast by the BBC, showed that dogs are the animals that love their owners the most, compared to other animals. Scientists analyzed the oxytocin index in cats and dogs when interacting with their owners. They collected saliva samples from ten cats and ten canines on two occasions, ten minutes before the matches and after the matches ended.
The level of the hormone, the happiness index, increased on average by 57.2% in dogs, and only 12% in cats.
— This love is how they provide balm to our hearts. It is a warm love, sums up psychoanalyst Fabiana Juntovic.
Dogs may not be able to read our minds, but they are certainly able to connect emotionally in a way that few other animals can — whether on the big screen or in real life.
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