The paw-inspiring story of the most beloved animal sanctuary in the world, the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. From their humble beginnings as a small backyard sanctuary, we follow founders Zina & Michael Gooden, their amazing staff, and the gang of one hundred plus senior pooches, as they grow and settle into a brand new 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. You’ll meet the dogs, and the people who saved them, fostered, and gave them back a reason to wag their tails. It’s a tale of compassion and commitment, where love knows no bounds and as Zina like to say, “the sky is the limit.” Old Friends, A Dogumentary, a film about a place where love never grows old.
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Video Quality
Old Friends, A Dogumentary comes to Blu-Ray from MVD Entertainment with a really pleasant high definition master that delivers exactly how you would want. This feature is primarily made up of footage shot over the last decade which means you do not have to worry about anything looking too worse for wear. The talking head interview segments appear very sleek and clear with natural skin tones and some detailed facial features. Material shot in less stable environments outdoors is likewise crisp even with the varied environments. The Tennessee landscapes look really nice in high definition. The colors featured in the footage have a lovely sense of vibrancy to them. The transfer does not fall victim to any compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. MVD Entertainment has offered up a top tier presentation for this one.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with an LPCM 2.0 audio track that captures this material effortlessly. There is a good balance of talking heads to candid footage with each maintaining stability. Dialogue is a focus right up front in the main channel as you get these occasionally bustling moments filmed with precision. The music in the film comes through with great fidelity as it fills the room in an admirable way. The presentation makes the environment come alive with animal noises. There were no digital anomalies or other issues spotted. You really could not ask for better from this presentation. There are no subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Gorman Bechard, co-producer Sophia Rokas, and editor Sydni Frisch provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss how this project came together, working with the animals, the intimidating task of this being the first feature for some of them, filming in Nashville, the experience of watching the film in a theater for the first time and more.
- The Ribbon Cutting: A 28-minute more expansive look at the ceremony held to commemorate the opening of the new facility with speeches and unveiling of special design elements.
- The Geezer Parade: A 31-minute more expansive look at the senior dog parade from the pre-parade coordination with the volunteers to getting the dogs prepared and then the parade itself.
- “Friend Like That” Music Video: A four-minute video for the song from Stephy J. Moore is provided here.
- “Friend Like That” Original Demo: A nearly three-minute early version of the song is provided here over footage of some of the dogs.
- Gorman Gets An Old Friend Tattoo: A minute-and-a-half look at the director getting a tattoo to commemorate this experience.
- Q&A at the Old Friends, A Dogumentary World Premiere: A 23-minute Q&A from Franklin, TN in April 2022 with some of the subjects and the creative team discussing various aspect of the film including the origins of the project, more background info about some of the dogs, what the future holds for the “Dogumentary” series, the elements of humor and more.
- Q&A with Zina & Michael Goodin After Streaming Premiere: A 34-minute virtual interview with the subjects, director Gorman Bechard, and co-producer Sophia Rokas in which they reflect upon making the movie and answer questions submitted by audience members. There is some overlap with the other Q&A, but there is enough new material to make it worth a watch.
- Devi Sanford Interview: A 35-minute conversation between director Gorman Bechard and Devi Sanford, photographer for Old Friends, in which they discuss the ways in which Bechard uses her art in the film, some of the dogs that they formed a connection with, the stressful aspects of being at the sanctuary, the benefits of digital photography with dogs, and much more.
- IndieGoGo Promo Video with Gorman and Sophia: The six-minute crowdfunding promo video is provided here to raise funds to finish the film.
- Original IndieGoGo Promo Clip: The original four-minute crowdfunding promo video is provided here from when the film was called Seniors-2.
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Old Friends, A Dogumentary is a documentary that will most resonate with those with a soft spot for loveable canines. The construction and execution of the film is not the most cutting edge, but it honestly does not really need to be with a subject that is doing such heavy lifting. The human element of this story is entertaining enough, but the obvious stars of the show are the senior dogs that will have you in a puddle of tears after only a short time with them. The film does not try to intentionally manipulate your emotions, but you will be hard-pressed not to let this one get under your skin. MVD Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a surprising amount of special features. This is heartily recommended to animal lovers, but keep a box of tissues nearby. Recommended
Old Friends, A Dogumentary is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.