A young animal rights activist goes undercover at a large-scale dog breeding operation and discovers much more than she bargained for, including love, loss, and betrayal.
Sara Gold (Allison Paige) is a young, ambitious activist at the United Animal Protection Agency (UAPA), a large organization that discovers animal abuses, performs rescues, and lobbies tirelessly for animal protection and rights. She is chosen for a special assignment; infiltrate a suspected ‘puppy mill’ as a college intern and expose its leader, Daniel Holloway (James Remar). She joins the group and soon becomes close with the family, including Daniel’s son Will (Jayson Blair), with whom she begins an relationship. More importantly, she is unable to find any evidence of abuse at the site, despite some hints there might be. Not satisfied, the UAPA, along with authorities, raid the compound and Sara is torn between her job and what is right.
Based loosely on true events, The Dog Lover: The Wrong Side of Right is directed by Alex Ranarivelo and features a strong cast. Paige, who is best known for her work on television’s Days of Our Lives, is a bright young talent who brings the proper enthusiasm and even a little naiveté to the role. Remar, a seasoned actor with a long list of film credits dating back to the early 1980s (48Hrs, The Cotton Club), looks to be a man falsely accused, even if the trailer tries heard to implicate him otherwise. Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) plays his wife.
Low-budget and independently produced, this family drama looks to be a nice alternative to the mega-blockbusters crowding theaters soon, with a good message and challenging theme. Produced by ESX Entertainment, specializing in films made for under $10 million, this trailer suggests the story will be handled lightly enough to draw in younger viewers while still compelling for adults. The mystery and romance aspects will surely appeal to teens and young adults, and it’s good to see a young female in a leading role that isn’t part of a dystopian underground movement to free the world.
The Dog Lover is set for release, May 22, 2016
Director:
Alex Ranarivelo
Stars:
James Remar, Lea Thompson, Jayson Blair