Probably because of the Year of the Dog, there are many movies about dogs this year, and on May 11, there is another movie about military dogs, "Rex the War Dog", which is about to be staged. This afternoon, the film was super-screened in Hangzhou, and 10 readers of the Times were invited to watch the film in advance and watched the well-trained police dog performance on the spot. After watching the movie, several readers expressed that it was difficult to accept that the "war hero" Rex would face euthanasia after retiring, but the final ending was very touching.
Based on the true story of American female soldier Megan Levy and the military dog Ricks redeeming each other before and after their military careers, the film is directed by Gabriela Copperswert, director of the high-scoring documentary "Black Whale", starring Kate Mara, who became popular with "House of Cards", telling the story of Megan and Ricks from meeting, acquaintance to the front line of the Iraqi battlefield, after experiencing the cruelty of the war and saving many lives, Megan was deeply troubled by ptsd (post-traumatic stress disorder) and wanted to adopt Rex after retiring from the army. However, military dogs are not suitable for adoption, and Rex's fate is to be euthanized after retirement. But Meghan insisted on not giving up, interviewed by the media, collected more than 20,000 signatures in support, and finally successfully adopted Rex. The incident once caused a sensation in the United States and touched countless people.
The prototype of the Ricks in the film is a famous, many-time meritorious dog who served in three combat units. With the rank of sergeant, it inspected more than 6,220 vehicles during its 3 years of service and spent more than 11,575 hours in counterterrorism efforts. The role of military dogs in warfare is self-evident, and they have a mission on the battlefield that is no different from that of soldiers. More than 50,000 military dogs were involved in World War I, and nearly a thousand American military dogs were also in danger in the Iraq War in which Megan and Ricks fought. However, the fate of these military dogs after retirement is unknown, and they, like Ricks, no matter how meritorious and meritorious they are, they will face death when they retire. Ricks is lucky to have Megan petition for it, but how can the fate of the other military dogs change?
And in our seemingly peaceful daily lives, there are many wordless "heroes" who, like Rex, silently dedicate. There are corresponding working dogs in different fields of work, such as search dogs, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs, anti-drug dogs, etc. These working dogs have undergone scientific and strict training to protect the safety of human society, but when they are old and weak, what will their destination be?
This is a social issue that deserves each of us to think about and strike directly at human nature.
"War Dog Rex" breaks through the traditional pet film image from the unique perspective of military dogs, starting from the true story of Megan and Rex on and off the battlefield, with delicate and realistic shots, showing us the deep emotions of mutual support and mutual dependence between working dogs represented by military dogs and humans, arousing the public's attention to these alternative "heroes", as the movie said, "They are our family, we are also their families." ”