Stray

Life as a stray dog can be tough at times, like when you get kicked by a passerby. But sometimes you get lucky and someone throws you a heap of leftover meat, or you get to run on the beach, or howl along with the call to prayer. Day in, day out, Zeytin, Nazar and Kartal the puppy patter around Istanbul, visiting their favorite addresses—with the camera following along at snout level.

When the stray dogs start having fun pestering a cat, the film seems to briefly cross paths with another: that homage to the stray cats of Istanbul Kedi (2016, Ceyda Torun). We can hear conversations between the city’s human inhabitants in the background, or the dogs suddenly find themselves in the middle of a demonstration.

A group of young Syrians decide to look after Kartal, who’s been struggling to stay tough and alert but keeps nodding off as the group looks for a place to sleep while nightlife throngs on around them. Zeytin and Nazar then go to seek refuge among other urban outcasts in this serene mosaic of a film, inspiring reflections on freedom, solidarity, and charity.