Magnolia Pictures' STRAY - Releases on March 5

I had a chance to watch a screener of Magnolia Pictures' STRAY, which releases on March 5. 

Synopsis:

STRAY explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays as they embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society. Zeytin, fiercely independent, embarks on adventures through the city at night; Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her; while Kartal, a shy puppy living on the outskirts of a construction site, finds companions in the security guards who care for her. The strays’ disparate lives intersect when they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians with whom they share the streets. Director Elizabeth Lo’s award-winning film is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing.

You don't have to be a dog-owner or even a dog-lover to enjoy STRAY.  This film is viewed from dogs' perspectives, and at its core, the film makes viewers really think about others - not just other human beings, or other cultures, but other species.  

Director Elizabeth Lo calls into question anthropocentrism, which is the belief that the universe centers around human beings. By following dogs over the course of 6 months in Turkey, which has a no kill, no capture law, we get a sense of what life is like a dog - not a pet dog, but one that lives freely, and has to find her own way in life.

Whether navigating streets, searching for food, or finding companionship, the dogs, just like humans, must learn which dogs to trust, which dogs to stay away from, what places are safe, and what places are not.

But unlike humans, they live day to day. They don't mask their true feelings. And they don't pretend to be something they're not.

This is reinforced by one of the many quotes shown throughout the film:

“Human beings live artificially and hypocritically and would do well to study  the dog.” 

- DIOGENES OF SINOPE, 360 B.C.

STRAY gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of a dog, as well as a peek into life in Turkey.

It's an engaging film that still has me thinking about our purpose on this Earth, as well as that of a dog.

Visit https://www.straymovie.com/ to find out how you can watch STRAY.