Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.
WARNING: This film will cause you to cry like a baby. We’re not talking about the kind of tears that trickle silently down your cheeks, there will be sobs. It will be messy. But it will make you feel good.
Eliot Rausch is a writer/director/producer with a background in design and advertising, but he shows amazing chops as a documentary filmmaker. He met Jason Wood after he raised just enough money to get his beloved dog’s leg amputated after it had been ravaged by cancer, but the disease had already spread to the rest of his body. Wood made the difficult decision to get his canine friend put down.
This film is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films we have ever seen and it turned many of us here at the Portable offices into crying messes. Dog-lover or not, it’s undeniable that we form bonds with them that are painful to sever. Oden’s impact on the life of Jason Wood is blindingly obvious. After having struggled with drug abuse in the past and also having a stint in jail, Oden marked Wood’s transition into a better life. Such is the relationship between any dog and their owner – filled with feelings of love, gratitude and an unspoken connection.
Beautifully compsed and constructed, and featuring music from Bryce Dessner and Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver), the film is visually stunning and his aesthetic carries into Rausch’s other work (the equally touching Penny’s Heart and the Green Book Materials). These 3 films (and 5 yet-to-be-released gems) are set to be put together to create an 8-part feature length release by the year’s end – 8 LIVES. Keep an eye here for more details.
Now go and give your dog a cuddle
