Film Forum

EXCLUSIVE VIRTUAL CINEMA BONUS FEATURES!

• A conversation between Elizabeth Lo and filmmaker Rachel Grady (JESUS CAMP)
• A Q&A with Lo and Joanne Yohannan from North Shore Animal League, moderated by film critic Tomris Laffly

Elizabeth Lo’s spellbinding, thoroughly delightful documentary shot on the streets, alleyways, and construction sites of Istanbul features three furry protagonists (beige-coated, brown-eyed Zeytin in a starring role) who often keep company with a ragtag group of Syrian refugees, with whom they snuggle up at night and share scraps of food. Tomris Laffly in Variety gives the film an unadulterated rave, calling it “both the ultimate love letter to dogs and a multifaceted moral inquiry into humanity.” She writes: “Possessing a dramatic screen quality with her striking gaze, elegant lashes and playfully twitching eyebrows, Zeytin steadily lends the film a piece of her incorruptible purity that at once enchants and strengthens spirits. One feels a soul-baring affinity with the fearless Zeytin as she searches for kindness while wandering and conquering the streets of Istanbul, a savvy survivor, who’s somehow managed to make sense of that city’s one-of-a-kind chaos which STRAY portrays with stunning, head-spinning precision. STRAY organically builds its narrative…into an urban musical opus with a strange and singular beauty. Placing among the upper ranks of films for dog lovers, revealing the soulful voice of an exciting new filmmaker.”

USA    2020    72 MINS.    IN TURKISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES     MAGNOLIA PICTURES

Virtual Cinema program supported by the Robert Gore Rifkind Foundation.

Reviews

“STRAY shines a piercing light on what it means to be an outcast in a teeming metropolis. Through a finely calibrated ebb and flow of insight and emotion, Lo offers a fresh perspective on life in the shadows.”
– Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter

“Dog lovers will drool over this profound canine love letter from Turkey. [A] gorgeous, absorbing snapshot of several stray dogs on the streets of Istanbul. The dogs run most of the show, and they serve as remarkable centerpieces in a complex visual tapestry loaded with tender closeups that contemplate the consciousness on display.”
– Eric Kohn, IndieWire

“Captivating and immersive. There’s a tremendous amount of human skill, empathy, observational power and narrative shaping in [Lo’s] mesmerizing canine saga.”
– Scott Macaulay, Filmmaker Magazine