A dog sitter becomes unwittingly entangled in a dognapping scheme with a handsome doctor and an S&M mistress.
Written and directed by Laura Lee Bahr, this film has a little bit of everything. The characters she creates here feel like maybe exaggerated versions of real people one would meet in Hollywood, people looking for their shining moment, their 15 minutes of fame. They sometimes feel like exaggerated versions or stereotypes, but most of the time, they feel like actual people. The film takes these people and puts them in crazy situations where they have no options but to do things most people wouldn’t even think of doing. At the same time, outside of the dognapping and a few other events, the film is filled with regular, normal moments which anchor the story in reality and create a counter-balance the WTF moments. Laura Lee Bahr weaves a story that should not make any sense (a dominatrix, goth kids, dog sitters, botox parties, …) yet it does. She manages to take a few crazy ideas along with some odd characters and makes them entertaining and engaging.
The cast here is talented, with leads Angela Landis and Josh Randall doing great work with the material and the sometimes insane situations they find themselves in, both of them showing a knack for not letting the insanity faze them while keeping a straight face in situations that would make most people react. Shining in her own way, Bai Ling brings a special shade of odd to her part which fits the film beautifully and adds to the entertainment provided by it. The cast has a few uneven performances, but the good ones are good enough to make the viewer forget about the off ones.
The film is definitely an independent production but it does not keep it from looking good. The budget does show and there are limitations but it’s well shot with cinematography by Royce Allen Dudley who gives the film a specific look. This with the music by Joe Kraemer and Jeremy Broomfield works with the images well and creates a mood that works for the film and the story.
Boned is an independent film that may be harder to find for most, but it’s worth checking out if you can find it for the little bits of insanity and the way the story unfolds and shows the viewer people and their wants, needs, manias. The cast is interesting and Bai Ling definitely brings the crazy to her part, going all out and making it very interesting to watch her and those she interacts with. This lady always brings the crazy in one way or another and she makes the films she touches this much more entertaining. The film also works outside of the scenes she is in, being entertaining and making one want to see what happens with the little dog and it being dognapped, because let’s be honest, most people care more about dogs than people.