a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Now THIS is the kind of movie that Disney should be producing... Something with a positive message that doesn't necessarily further the interests of the Military Entertainment Complex. The idea of "skin-ship" (the "sharing of feelings through physical contact") is EXACTLY the kind of message kids need these days, especially when electronics and "virtual reality" have all but made contact between people (much less people and animals other than house pets) a rarity. (Of course, such contact entails risk, as I found out this past summer. I went to a shelter- which WASN'T a "no-kill" facility- and adopted a pair of kittens. Unfortunately, there were far more cats there than we could possibly afford to adopt- and three days is the "limit" there-, including playful triplets and, sadly, an older cat who was sent to the shelter by a dying man in the hopes that she would be adopted. As if THAT weren't heartbreaking enough, a neighborhood cat gave birth to more than half a dozen kittens- on my back porch or under the house- who proceeded to succumb, one by one, to the relentless HEAT here. I called every single "cat-friendly" organization in town to try to get help, but none of them- not ONE- could (or WOULD) do a thing. So I spent every morning finding and bagging these small, dehydrated bodies... until they were all gone. Contact entails risk, but I think I've come to understand at least one thing: it's only LOVE that makes Life worth living.)

Quill could be billed as a quasi-documentary about how golden lab guide dogs for the blind are trained in Japan. It is all quite informative, but not very dramatically interesting. For the most part, it is child suitable. There is sadness as the dog Quill is taken from his puppy home to be trained, then taken from there to serve, then taken from there when the owner dies. Quill himself eventually dies of old age in an overblown sequence that goes on and on and on like some sadistic Disney flick determined to make every child cry. I was saying out loud, "for pity sake, tell the vet to put him down". The pathos dissipated for me when one character gave instructions to Quill on what to do when he got to heaven. That was just too silly.

Quill is among one of the cutest, most lovable movie dogs I have ever seen. He is a Labrador who was raised from the time he was born to be a guide dog for the blind and achieves the goals to become one not over time, but seemingly through his aptitude for patience, kindness, and responsibility. He was one of several pups to be born and then taken to a foster family for one year as they trained him to become a loyal, playful, yet disciplined dog. When the inevitable "parting ways" scene comes between Quill and his foster family of one year, roughly fifteen minutes in, it inspires tears as if it wasn't planned or even hinted at.That is one of the strongest regards I can sincerely pay to a film targeted at making the audience cry. We know Quill's first family is a temporary one, we know he only has a one year time frame with them, and we know both parties are in for a beneficial experience. To know all that and shed authentic tears at the forthcoming "end of a chapter" shows that the picture utilized its emotional heights properly, with added integrity, and not in a manipulating fashion.After spending a year with a kind Japanese family, Quill is off to formal training to become a guard-dog, learning key points such as identifying curbs, corners, and objects blocking a blind man's path. He is assigned to Mitsuru Watanabe (Kaoru Kobayashi), a man who is cold to the idea of having a guide dog, feeling it may corrupt the limited independence he still holds on to. He all ready has a stick and feels more comfortable because he's the ones controlling it. Little does he know that Quill has a strong ability to be empathetic with his humans, and he is one of the best dogs a blind man could be fortunate enough to have guiding them.Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog doesn't examine how touchingly the dog and man connect over time, nor does it illustrate how dogs make something softer than it actually is. Director Yôichi Sai objectively shows the casual processes a guide dog is taken through. Going into this expecting a documentary of sorts, I was taken by how stably this tale amounts to the boundaries of fictitious storytelling. For all I know, this could've been a docudrama, illustrating a true story purely and without cliché traps, as it does.Being that Quill is a Japanese film centering on the area of Japan (I've been dancing around that fact for fear that it will curb a potential viewer's mind), Quill's trainer (Kippei Shiina) makes it very clear that when giving Quill directions, Mr. Watanabe must state them in English so as not to open the possibility of Quill mistaking pedestrian Japanese or nearby Japanese dialog for commands. It's an interesting little side-note to say the least.Although not directly stated or marketed to any person, I could see young kids appreciating this story just as much as an adult. The subtitles are basic and can be read by anyone of a fourth grade reading level. Kids will adore the cute little puppy, parents will enjoy the depth and emotional impact (as well as the sensitive direction), and it would be a nice introduction to the unlimited possibilities of getting a dog if a family would be thinking of committing such a step.Some people have stated that Quill had a bad life as a dog and was gravely mistreated throughout his entire career. I don't believe so; the dog was never abused or neglected. His life was somewhat less loving, maybe, than the typical American dog in a middle class suburban home, but never did I recall an instance where Quill was treated with neglect or abuse. If not loved unconditionally, Quill's actions were at least appreciated by not only Mr. Watanabe, but his foster parents, who Quill spends his later days with.As stated before, Quill is one of the cutest, most lovable movie dogs I have ever seen and Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog is among the best dog movies I've ever seen. It shows how dogs assist humans in shockingly beneficial ways and does so by creating an emotionally lively and enjoyable picture with familiar characters and beautiful storytelling. I'd say it's a better dog movie than Marley and Me, because of its concern for performances and the fact that there's more than just a cute dog at the center of its story.Starring: Kippei Shiina and Kaoru Kobayashi. Directed by: Yôichi Sai.

Spoilers This little movie has attracted a lot of attention in town, hitting #2 in the box office last week. Local film critics, the lazy ones at least, have resorted to saying things like `have lots of tissue ready' or some such cliché. Truth of the matter is, this one is not a tear-jerker.If anything, Quill is more like a documentary, a slightly dramatized documentary similar to Touching the Void. Without the contrived, crafted emotional bumps seen often in Hollywood flicks, this Japanese film takes us gently along the life of Quill, the seeing-eye dog, through many partings: with his original parents, `adopted' parents, trainer, and finally `partner'. Sharing with Quill his small, humble moments of joy and sadness, we also come to understand a little more the role of a seeing-eye dog. We are reminded of the inevitability of death, but also the zest and joy of living. In the end, without the help of stultified tear-jerking formula, our eyes would maybe moist a little at the friendship between a man and a dog.One inconsequential note on the background music. In the scene of the man and the dog going for a final walk together, the background music is the beautiful Bach-Gounod's version of Ave Maria (hope I got this right). Just by sheer coincidence, I recently watched Raging Bull, in which the same piece of music is used in the opening credit, with markedly different effects.