Hachi – Hachiko: A Dog’s Story (2009)

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom | 93 minutes | drama, family | Actors: Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Sarah Roemer, Jason Alexander, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Erick Avari, Robert Capron, Davenia McFadden, Kevin DeCoste, Donna Sorbello, Bates Wilder, Forest, Gloria Crist, Donald Warnock, Robbie Sublett, Tora Hallstrom , Gary Roscoe, Denece Ryland, Ben Skinner, Adam Masnyk, Martin Montana, Vincent J. Earnshaw, Oscar J. Castillo, Roy Souza, Michael Kelly, Morgan O’Brien, Rich Tretheway, Frank S. Aronson, Joanne Fanara, Luke Allard , Rob Degnan, Shane Farrell, Thomas Tynell, Ian Sherman

Ronnie (Kevin DeCoste) has to give a talk in class about his great hero. When he begins to write the name ‘Hachiko’ on the board, there is a giggle. Without paying attention to it, he begins to tell the story of this Hachi, the grandfather’s dog he never knew.

It was once around Christmas that his grandfather Professor Parker Wilson returned from a trip to the small town where he lived with his wife Cate and daughter Andy. While Parker is walking along the platform with his suitcase, he calls his wife Cate that he is coming. The moment he hangs up, he bumps into a small dog who immediately shows affection and continues to chase Parker. Parker tries to leave the puppy with the stationmaster, but he doesn’t feel like it at all. He will refer the owner, if any, to the professor should he present himself. Parker knows that Cate absolutely doesn’t want any more pets, so he smuggles the animal into the barn. However, the dog is so smart that it escapes and invades the house, much to Cate’s dismay. The next day, Parker tries to put the dog at the shelter, but they are completely full and the dogs are euthanized after two weeks of waiting in vain for a new owner. Meanwhile, Parker becomes more and more devoted to the dog and eventually Cate also gives in and he is allowed to stay. Parker’s Japanese friend Ken (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) says the tag on the collar says “Hachi” and that becomes the name of the growing dog. In no time, everyone in town is used to Hachi, as well as the fact that he takes Parker to the station every day and waits for him when he gets home in the afternoon. One day, Parker has a heart attack while at work and never returns home by train. But Hachi faithfully waits for Parker in the same spot at the station as always, year after year after year until he literally drops.

It always does well, a loyal, excessively intelligent animal that maintains a warm bond with people, is almost human itself. Lasse Hallström also emphasizes these human qualities by regularly filming from Hachi’s point of view, albeit in black and white, but it is clear that the dog is a real person. Something that is also apparent from the way in which not only Parker, but also the other family members and the inhabitants of the town treat the dog, not in the least as with an average pet, but as with a loyal friend.

It could have been a larmoyante tearjerker, but because of the calm way in which the story develops, you take all the thickly imposed sentiment into the bargain. Hachi is of the breed ‘Akita’, a kind of royal family among dogs. Because of the peaceful atmosphere and everything surrounding it, Hachi does indeed appear almost royal, sovereign. To see a dog in the lead role of a heroic epic in this way is quite a special experience. Do we all have to run to the pet store or to the dog breeder for such a special dog, because otherwise life has no meaning? Well no, Hachi doesn’t need to be walked once in the entire movie, he eats and drinks, but somehow he and his owners and the people who take care of him after Parker’s death, fate spared his shit. having to clean up or his puke if he ate something wrong. Also, his coat stays looking beautiful almost to the end, so he doesn’t need to be brushed either. Furthermore, he does not suffer from loneliness when left at home and thus does not resort to endless barking which causes great inconvenience to the neighbors or even the entire neighborhood. An ideal dog, at least as a movie hero, a real dog does require normal care, attention and must be walked several times a day. So ‘Don’t try this at home…’, but just watch the movie. A sweet film by the way, so what more could you want.