Black Dog (2024 film)

Former stunt motorcyclist Lang returns on parole to his hometown of Chixia on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert, where he was a local celebrity prior to his imprisonment for manslaughter. Many residents have left the failing town, leaving a large population of stray dogs. Lang's father owns a zoo that has gone out of business, and he suffers from health problems due to alcoholism.

A bounty is placed on a black dog that has been biting Chixia residents as part of a larger program to remove stray or unregistered animals before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Lang pursues the bounty but returns defeated and bitten. He joins the local dog-capturing squad but develops compassion for the dogs, leading to conflicts with the team members. When the dog is finally caught, Lang is tasked with transporting him, but becomes stranded in the wild overnight due to strong winds. He huddles with the dog in the cold and is bitten again. He is helped by a travelling circus group coming into town, and grows close with an unhappy dancer named Grape. Self-quarantining following the bite, Lang forms a bond with the black dog and decides to adopt him. Meanwhile, Lang's father's health deteriorates, and he is admitted to the hospital.

After spending time with Grape, Lang rides home drunk with the dog and is captured by snake farmer Butcher Hu, who seeks revenge for the death of his nephew a decade ago. He escapes captivity during an earthquake but is unable to locate the black dog. When he visits Hu's farm, he finds Hu bitten by a venomous snake and saves him. Hu thanks Lang, offers to reconcile, and explains that the dog has run off. Lang eventually finds the dog in critical condition at a dog racing venue out of town and takes him home. The dog later dies and Lang buries him in the desert, though it is revealed that he has fathered a puppy with another stray dog.

The whole town travels to the desert to see the solar eclipse, while the animals from the zoo are freed and roam the empty streets. Large-scale renovations of the town begin, while Grape leaves on a long-distance bus by herself. On the night of the Olympics opening ceremony, Lang shares a final drink with his father in the hospital and pulls the plug, fulfilling the latter's wish. He then leaves town and rides off into the desert with the puppy.

• Eddie Peng as Lang, a former convict
• Tong Liya as Grape, a circus performer in whom Lang takes romantic interest
• Jia Zhangke as Uncle Yao, who leads the canine round-up efforts
• Zhou You as Nie Shili
• Zhang Yi as Group leader
• Xin the dog

Guan Hu sought to tell the story of ordinary people left behind by the rapid economic development in China and cast actors who could bring a sense of realism to the project.^[6]

Eddie Peng established such a strong bond with Xin, the dog featured in the film, that he adopted the dog after filming had wrapped.^[7]

Black Dog was selected to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 18 May 2024,^[8] and was officially released in mainland China on June 15 and in Singapore on July 25.^[9]