The raft of stories in Japan about the emotional rapport between humans and dogs is a welldocumented phenomenon. [Star Watching Dog] is another entry into the canon, a sad but warm film about the strong bond between a man and his dog. A middle-aged man and a dog are found dead in a forest near a camping sitein Nayoro, Hokkaido. Kyosuke, who works in the welfare department of the city council, tries to establish the man’s identity and the cause of both deaths. The investigation reveals that the very lonely man had struck up a heart-warming relationship with the dog?a relationship that reminds Kyosuke of his own dog from childhood, Kuro. [Star Watching Dog] tells three parallel stories: Kyosuke’s journey to trace the dead man’s life, the journey of the man and the dog, and Kyosuke’s own childhood. It makes the film something of a double road movie. In the process director Takimoto Tomoyuki emphasizes how easily people can be isolated in a highly competitive society. (KIM Ji-seok)