Cannes 2026: ‘La Perra’ is a Chilean Dog Movie Distracted by Grief​

I’m always on the lookout for dog movies. I will watch each and every one of them. But that also means they better not do anything off-putting or annoying or upsetting. If a dog character is important to the plot in a film, the filmmakers better handle this story (and the dog/all the dogs) with care and concern. Or it will ruin the film. On one hand, this Chilean film is quite beautiful and entrancing. On the other, it’s bogged down by an annoying subplot about grief that overwhelms the film and sends it to a frustrating finale. La Perra is the latest feature from Chilean filmmaker Dominga Sotomayor – it’s premiering at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at the fest. It’s a ravishing cinematic experience – the powerful sound design and astonishing cinematography make it worthwhile to watch on the big screen, which is the proper way to view it. However, the narrative gets bogged down by choices related to this grief theme in the story, and it waters down the otherwise beautiful tale of a woman bonding with a dog on an island. I enjoyed most of, but not the ending… Though I still think it’s worth recommending to other adventurous cinephiles. // Continue Reading ›