Parents' Guide to Angel Dog

Angel Dog is a sweet, heartfelt film about loss that reinforces the value and importance of moving on, and suggests that people (and pets) may all enter our lives for a reason. It offers important positive messages about kindness, compassion, and creating the space for a person to grieve in a healthy, unrushed way. This is contrasted by showing what it's like when people don't move on, and are stuck in a lifetime of pain and unable to let go.

That said, it's a heavy dose of real-world suffering: Most scenes for the majority of the film are devoted to the exploration of the pain of loss, whether they feature a grieving character, a somber wash of bluish tint, or a maudlin score. The bright spots come with dog Cooper's ability to cut through that suffering, and offer a modicum of comfort on the path to moving on. Still, the film could use a guide dog of its own in moving on from its subject -- we don't get much sunlight at this vigil until the last 10 minutes. Kids may enjoy the interactions of the characters with a highly intelligent and sensitive animal, especially those interested in comfort dogs, but parents will want to make a call about whether this much sustained grief over the course of an hour and half is worth the ultimately uplifting message.