‘Pet Shop Days’ Review – In The City, We Hook Up Out Of Boredom

There’s a sudden need amongst moviegoing crowds for gnarly, unapologetic films that dive deep into the gritty veins of big cities. We will soon have Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing starring the enigmatic Austin Butler in a crime-noir New York feature and the recent SXSW debut Odyssey directed by Gerard Johnson taking us into the brutal backstreets of London’s lawless underground. Now is the time for Pet Shop Days, directed and co-written by Olmo Schnabel alongside Jack Irv and Galen Core, to emerge as a visceral journey into downtown New York.

When we meet Alejandro and Jack, they couldn’t be more different. Alejandro is the spoiled son of a druglord, and Jack is the down-on-his-luck pet shop worker with a too-close relationship with his mother. Two young men from polar opposite worlds, and yet, something draws them together. It’s a casual, silly, and surface-level attraction, the way people have it in the city. The busy life eats at us, and it’s easier to hang on to the first person we find attractive than to seek a valuable, in-depth connection.

Jack and Alejandro’s relationship blossoms, with Alejandro being the more experienced of the couple. The feelings between them evolve into something twisted and dark yet nonchalant and cool. Schnabel’s rushed semi-erotic thriller emerges from curiosity and boredom, a place rarely trodden in film, but it brings to mind Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, another summer flick where crime occurs out of boredom, as does sexual infatuation. Alejandro explores Jack’s body for lack of anything better to do. Jack indulges in a reckless spree with Alejandro because the city offers nothing for either of them. 

What heightens the film, though, and elevates the game, is DP Hunter Zimny’s work with light, colors, and an undeniable ‘80s aesthetic. Zimny is the top-performing element of Pet Shop Days and the one that ranks it higher in my evaluation, from a B to a B+. His camerawork is exquisite, and the colors are flashy. The shadow and light work bring life to some of the dull scenes that are weighed down by the acting and the plot moving forward. The colors are intense and saturated, despite the backgrounds being too dark at times, washing the actors in mystery and ambiguity, unclear of who’s good or bad. That neo-noirish (more like neon-noir) vibe liberates the feature and makes it chill without letting the chaotic narrative drag it down. It is the perfect complementary piece to Gaspar Noé and Harmony Korine’s experimental cinema.

Out of the whole cast, the most impressive is Jack Irv. Despite having few acting credits to his name, he perfectly embodies his character, Jack, with the subtlest acting skills required for a mellow role like this. The other actors blend together in a vague amalgamation. No one particularly shines or falters, not even the veteran actors. Some are worse than others, specifically Dario Yazbek Bernal as Alejandro, and that is one of the key factors that bring the film down a bit. However, this film is not focused on performances; it’s a laid-back, visually exciting piece of neon-noir, a wild night out that goes–understandably–long and complicated like that summer fling that lasts unwillingly into winter.

Pet Shop Days is a cool, carefree movie where no one has to love or get attached to anyone. It’s a drug-hazed, kaleidoscopic escapade into the darkness of the merciless city. A fun watch, a no-strings-attached spring thriller that works better on a hot summer night, taking viewers on a wild ride around New York if they have nothing better to do. Yes, it’s deeply flawed, but what fling is not? What casual relationship is wholesome and perfectly structured? This film is there for those who love the messiness of life in movies.

Pet Shop Days is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Utopia. The film will expand to additional markets in the near future.