After a tragic event, Juha develops an unexpected but powerful connection with a dominatrix named Mona. But his dangerous addiction to suffocation will lead them both down a wild, freaky path towards emotional enlightenment.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/FZa2peI-zyg?si=hKl7XmCpwCsjuvyh&t=1504]

Video Quality

Dogs Don’t Wear Pants makes its domestic Blu-Ray debut with a very strong 1080p video presentation that captures the intended aesthetic without issue. The production design, outfits, and shooting locations provide immaculate textural details that make the experience more visceral. The presentation shows off a significant amount of depth even in the darkest moments. Black levels reveal the smallest slight signs of banding in a few moments, but they largely maintain their depth. The skin tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. The image is crisp with the complex, natural color palette saturating the screen. The film supplies some deep colors within the lighting that is always effective. This Blu-Ray is an ideal representation of this movie that should more than please fans.

Audio Quality

Yellow Veil Pictures gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that appears to be impeccably realized throughout the narrative. The dialogue flows through clearly without being clipped by any competing sounds. The music is effective and well-balanced while maintaining its fidelity. There is a bit of texture in the lower registers when it comes to some of the bass in the music. Environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in a very inviting manner. When the characters are moving through their environment, some unique ambient details flesh out the setting. The results are impressive with the nimble and effective sound design coming alive. The audio track captures the complexities that make this narrative a reality. This film is presented in the original Finnish with optional English subtitles.

Special Features

Introduction: A two-minute optional introduction in which writer/director J-P Valkeapää discusses his excitement over having his film released on Blu-Ray along with his history with the film.

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director J-P Valkeapää provides a commentary track in which he discusses the background of the production, shooting underwater sequences, collaborating with the performers, the aesthetic of the film, the narrative handling of this subculture, and more.

Archival Interview with J-P Valkeapää: A nearly 31-minute interview with the writer/director is provided in which he discusses how he became involved with the project, the importance of the different worlds explored, the visual influences, getting notes from a real-life dominatrix, balancing the different relationships, and much more.

Archival Interview with Pekka Strong: A 26-minute interview with the actor in which he discusses what drew him to the project, developing the character, the connection with the actress playing his daughter, the research he puts into his roles, his thoughts on sentimentality, and more.

Archival Interview with Krista Kosonen: A 21-minute interview with the actress in which she discusses getting involved with this film, the initial disagreements about her character in the early versions of the script, building up the character, her memories of the shooting process, how the film encapsulates Finnish culture, and much more.

Camera Test: A nearly 17-minute selection of camera test footage is provided.

Storyboard to Scenes: Two scenes are provided with a comparison between the finished scene and the storyboard version. There is an additional scene that is completely storyboarded.

- Summer (4:39)

- Tooth (11:13)

- Full Storyboard (10:02)

Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Erotism and the Bataillean Death Wish In Dogs Don’t Wear Pants” from writer Annie Rose Malamet is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis of the themes and plot developments of the film which strengthens your comprehension overall.

Final Thoughts

Dogs Don’t Wear Pants is a very human portrait of grief and the extreme places it can lead in the search to feel something to remind you that you are alive. A film set in the world of BDSM could be very exploitative, but writer/director J-P Valkeapää seems to have a much more apparent interest in this as a character piece rather than a scuzzy genre film. The performances are impeccable all around thanks to the depth given to each character. The subject matter may turn a lot of people off, but those who are open to it will be rewarded with something special. Yellow Veil Pictures has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a good amount of special features. Recommended

Dogs Don’t Wear Pants is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Yellow Veil Pictures and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.