Dog of God Review (Tribeca Film Festival 2025)

By Justin D Williams

Dog of God is a strange and unsettling Latvian animated film that is a religio-superstition-filled story of weird human action. By employing a special rotoscope animation technique, in which live actors are hand-drawn on in an attempt to provide a dreamlike atmosphere, the film combines fantasy and tough reality. Based in the 17th century, the film is about a strange man named Thiess who calls himself a werewolf waging war against unbelievers in the name of God. When he arrives in a small town, hell erupts, particularly with the church officials and villagers, who are already decaying as far as spirituality and morality are concerned.

Dog of God is great from the very beginning because of its animation design. The movie is reminiscent of a hallucinogenic dream or nightmare, as characters do things that occur and fail to occur. Colors swirl between clean and dirty and are always present with rain, muck, and rot. The sound effects contribute to the ambiance, employing squelchy sounds and electronic tracks that make each instance unpleasant. It's not your typical cartoon–it's actually a living painting you view as it comes to life.

The hero of the work, Thiess, is no typical hero. He claims to be a werewolf, but kills no human beings. He tries to drive the enemy army away from the village instead. He is an odd aphrodisiac present-giver and rebels against the authority of the priest in the village. Thiess is nearer to nature and ancient tradition than the austere Christian ethics of the church. This leads to conflict, particularly when villagers are in fear of him, and the priest attempts to govern everybody by fear and judgment.

The strongest theme of the film is the danger of the hypocrisy of religion. While the priest pretends to be holy, he just so happens to be abusive and lecherous. All of the other characters are cheating, violent, or selfish. The village is collapsing not due to Thiess, but because everyone treats others like this. The film is doing this to demonstrate how religion is an excuse for people to do awful things. It's making everyone question who the true "monsters" are.

The other robust aspect of the film is that it blends fantasy and genuine feelings. Thiess is not a werewolf, but he believes he is doing something noble. He also knows people better than the church ministers do, and although he is odd, he loves them but in his own manner. The villagers, however, behave worse than animals but behave better than he behaves like a werewolf. The film blurs the lines between animal and human, and between good and bad.

Dog of God is not for everyone. There is a lot of uncomfortable stuff, like sex and violence. But for the audiences who are able to handle mature fare, it has something rich and worth it. It's a film that doesn't give easy answers and makes you think. The animation is cutting-edge, the storytelling is good, and the message is good: sometimes the real evil is not the evil we perceive it to be.

Short answer: Dog of God is a dark and abrasive film that employs unconventional imagery and folklore to explore human nature, religion, and ethics. It's not an animated feature film—it's a grotesque examination of how humans lose their way when they cease to think for themselves. Although it may not be the box-office draw, it has the kind of impact that lingers and engenders discussion. Worth seeing for teenagers that appreciate complicated storylines and a strange visual style is Dog of God.

Final Grade: 4 out of 5 stars

A heavy, strange, and unforgettable film that takes animation to a whole new level.