Miguel Albaladejo
Espagne 2003 35mm 99min. spanish o.v. english s-t.

Pedro is a successful dentist and a big hunk of a man who is unapologetic about his promiscuous lifestyle – he smokes pot, frequents bathhouses for anonymous trysts and has group sex with his buddies. He agrees to take in his 9-year-old nephew Bernardo for a couple weeks while Pedro’s widowed sister vacations in India. When she is suddenly arrested abroad, it dawns on both Pedro and Bernardo that this temporary visit might become a permanent arrangement. However, when Bernardo’s estranged grandmother Teresa shows up to claim her grandchild, it forces a showdown with consequences for everyone involved. Beautifully written and superbly acted, Cachorro focuses on Pedro’s rocky transformation from carefree single man to substitute parent with Bear sub-culture as a backdrop for its story of a fractured family trying to pull itself together. The film is a quietly effective, gently moving drama that is rich with humour and one that will leave audiences wrapped in a massive bear hug. – SF