Good Boy

A Tense, Touching Film with an Unexpected Bite.

Are dogs truly man’s best friend? According to “Good Boy,” one of the most anticipated films of 2025, the answer is a resounding YES.

Director Ben Leonberg delivers a deeply unsettling and engrossing tale focused on Todd (Shane Jensen) and his dog, Indy (played by himself), as they move to a remote rural cabin.

Todd spends his days absorbed in VHS tapes of his grandfather (Larry Fessenden) offering taxidermy tips, while also bingeing on low-budget horror films.

Leonberg deftly layers these elements, introducing both a camouflage-clad hunter and a grotesque ghoul made of mud and bile—figures whose potential for menace is never far from the surface.

The film’s unique focus lies with Indy, the dog, and his perception of the surrounding threats. Intensely vigilant, he strives to protect his human companion.

The camera follows Indy’s movements, around the cabin and into the wild outdoors, attuning us to his heightened senses. Every creak, thud, and screech is amplified through his sensitive hearing, while his nose picks up the scent of unseen dangers.

These sensory intrusions unsettle him further as Todd’s behaviour grows increasingly erratic, leaving us to wonder how much of the danger is real and how much exists in Indy’s mind.

Tension is heightened by the film’s dark and oppressive cinematography, the lurking threat of the wilderness, and Indy’s escalating unease. His searches through the house, his fixed stares into the darkness, and his anxious sounds all become key devices for suspense.

“Good Boy” visual language shifts in colour palette—from murky greens to a warm orange that reflects Indy’s coat and protective nature—suggest how he gradually takes over both the house and the surrounding space.

The atmosphere, eerie and obscure, provokes a feeling of dread and curiosity. Much of the film’s success comes from an unusual choice: humans are kept partially hidden, shown only from the neck down or in shadow.

This perspective makes “Good Boy” an intriguing experiment in depicting a pet’s perception of the world, sharpening our focus on the environment and on the dog’s interactions with Todd, each detail gaining meaning as the story unfolds toward its unsettling climax.

At its heart, this is a film about loyalty and friendship. With a brief 73-minute runtime, it never overstays its welcome, though it could have had a sharper impact, if it had been condensed into a 45-minute short. Still, the length feels justified given the film’s ambitions.

“Good Boy” is a deeply human film where the central “evil presence” is not what one expects, and its plot twist resonates on an emotional level.

It will surely divide audiences: those seeking gore or jump scares may be disappointed, but viewers open to its unconventional approach will find an unforgettable, eerie, and tense touching unexpectedly experience.

And truly…Someone needs to give Indy the dog an award for his performance.