Fur Will Be Flying Again
Well you know it was just a matter of time…
From the women who brought you Cat Crazed, comes Dog Dazed, airing 2013 on CBC’s Doc Zone.
During the past decade, dog ownership in Canada has doubled while the human population continues to urbanize. Since a majority of dog owners consider Fido a member of the family, it’s a challenge to clearly examine the dog’s environmental impact and effect on other people. Dog Dazed takes on that challenge but keeps the tone irreverent and upbeat, drawing once again upon Oscar-nominated animator Cordell Barker’s mad genius to capture the essence of all things canine in cartoon.
Beginning with the evolutionary brilliance of dogs, their ability to insinuate themselves into human society, Dog Dazed looks at our need for dogs to fill an emotional gap as human social networks break down. We examine the dog’s negative impact – from noise to destroyed habitat to…poop. (Canadian dogs deposit 797 tons of waste daily.) Dog Dazed explores the conflicts and the potential solutions as we work to integrate these descendants of wolves into our urban life-style without driving them – and our own species – barking mad.
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“For years, my alters went to therapy and I wasn’t there for more than five minutes.” - Hilary Stanton
“I knew immediately I must befriend Tim. You want the angry hostile alters to be your assistants. When the devil knocks, invite him in for tea.” - Cheryl Malmo, Hilary’s psychologist
Until her mid-40s, Hilary Stanton lived with big gaps in her memory that she thought were normal. Then Hilary had a breakdown, started therapy, and gradually discovered that – during those gaps in memory that she thought were so normal – other personalities (“alters”) were taking over from her.
When the Devil Knocks opens as Hilary barrels down the highway towards a family reunion. Alter Tim takes over the wheel and makes a U-turn at high speed. Hilary ‘comes to’ as she’s losing control of the car.
Tim was one of the most dominant of the 35 alters who would finally make their presence known, a phalanx of inner children who fought to protect Hilary’s core self from memories of horrific childhood abuse. It would be the job of therapist Cheryl Malmo to convince each of these alters that the abuse is in the past: it is safe to give up their memories to Hilary and, finally, to merge their personality with hers.
Many of the therapy sessions were videotaped to train therapists in the treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). Remarkably, Hilary gave Bountiful Films permission to use these videotaped therapy sessions in this documentary.
For more information on the film, the trailer and video interviews with experts on this disorder, see the official website When the Devil Knocks
Directed by Helen Slinger
Produced by Helen Slinger, Maureen Palmer, Ray Harper
Director of Photography: Steve Rendall
Editor: Tim Wanlin
Sound Design: Larry Baker
Location Sound: Downy Karvonen
Motion Graphics: Tiz Beretta
Composer: Teresa Connors
Trailer Editor: Hart Snider
