Stray

(USA / 2020 / Directed by Elizabeth Lo)

In Elizabeth Lo’s Stray, group of stray dogs move through the streets of Istanbul in search of survival and kinship. Through their daily adventures, we get a rare glimpse of humanity as it is seen and heard through another being.

Zeytin, strong and fiercely independent, wanders mostly at night in search of food and shelter. Nazar, nurturing and protective, easily befriends the humans around her. Kartal, a shy puppy living on the outskirts of a construction site, finds refuge with the security guards who care for her. The disparate lives of the three canines intersect with they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians who also live and survive on the city streets.

Director Elizabeth Lo takes her camera down to a dog's eye view, as the dogs journeys become windows with which to gaze upon the overlooked corners of society: women in loveless marriages, protesters without arms, refugees without sanctuary. The film is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing.

”A provocative essay about how we treat our fellow animals, human and non-human alike.” - POV Magazine

Unrated / 72 mins