Stars: Dialogue by Jacques Audiard. Hailed as one of the best films of the year by Vincent Canby of the N. Y. Times, Barter is the story of one weird bull terrier. We first meet Baxter as he scurries out of a box--a birthday present from a daughter to her mother who lives alone. Immediately, we are privy to the dog's innermost thoughts, which range from darkly funny to outright perverse. When a young couple moves in next door, Baxter decides it's time to jump houses, so to speak. But, first, he must take care of the mother .... As Baxter moves from owner to owner, we are alternately amused and repulsed by his dealings with human beings (falling in lust with one of his owners, the canine Romeo lays dead rats at her feet as a token of his affection). Eventually, Baxter meets the "human who is just like me," a boy who reads books about Hitler, has his own makeshift bunker in the local junkyard, and "feels neither love nor fear." Timmy and Lassie they ain't. But, when two sick pups like the Hitler youth and Baxter get together, something's got to give. And something does in the bold and shocking conclusion. A wild and wooly tale, Barter takes the boy and his dog story to new heights (and depths), and offers some slyly disturbing commentary on our culture along the way. Audience: Foreign film buffs will chow down on this one, of course, but adventurous filmgoers will also find major treats in Baxter. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Aug. 7, 2007—Lionsgate, 83 min., R, $19.98—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1989's Baxter sports an excellent transfer but no DVD extras. Bottom line: a truly twisted treat, this is highly recommended.]
Baxter
Title info Black comedy, Fox Lorber Home Video, in French w/English subtitles, 1991, Color, 82 min., $89.95, unrated: (brief nudity, sexual situations, violence) Video Movies
Baxter
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