A Cat Called Dom
Documentary meets animation in a highly original and deeply personal eulogy.
The question that comes to mind when watching A Cat Called Dom is whether or not it is possible for a film to be this oblique while also being spot on. The film is one credited to two Scottish filmmakers, Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson, who have made their names by creating short animated movies that have won them acclaim. This endeavour may be said to build on that since it includes animated scenes featuring the titular cat. Nevertheless, this is essentially a documentary and one which, despite presenting both Anderson and Henderson on screen and crediting them as co-directors, is centred firmly on Anderson. The reason for that is inherent in the material. What is being shown here is the impact that occurs when somebody comes face-to-face with death for the first time in the shape of somebody close to them being likely to die. The person thus confronted is Will Andersson and it arises when his mother, Susan, unexpectedly reveals to him that she has been diagnosed with cancer and faces a major operation.
A Cat Called Dom is a jumble, but deliberately so. It appears that before this crisis arose Will, once again in partnership with Ainslie, had been trying to make a film about Susan and had shot footage of her – for that matter they also had scenes with Bill Anderson, Will's dad. But Will tells us that that project had floundered albeit that some of what had been shot now becomes part of this work centred on Susan's cancer. As it is, we see Will looking at some of this earlier footage and also in conversations with Ainslie about the suitability of continuing filming in the new circumstances. To add to the mix, we find home movies looking back on the days when Will was growing up being included, but that is hardly surprising. However, it is definitely a move out of left field when, in addition to including clips from their earlier films, they introduce material featuring Dom, The latter is an animated character but one who has the function of offering Will someone to turn to, and even to argue with, this becoming a helpful distraction from being overpowered by his concerns for his mother’s situation.
What it all comes down to is the fact that in A Cat Called Dom we have a portrait of the chaos within Will's mind and the filmmakers have chosen to express that through the unorthodox mix of elements that constitute their finished film. Given this unusual approach, Anderson and Henderson opt for a shorter than average feature, a work lasting only an hour. That seems like a wise decision, but one does wonder if it was a good idea to add an extra element, namely the revelation that one or two scenes which we might have taken for actuality were in fact set up for the film. Doubts of that kind contribute to my feeling that Anderson and Henderson were lucky when their film won the Powell & Pressburger award for Best Feature at the 2022 Edinburgh Film Festival. Nevertheless, even if the piece does sometimes feel over-egged, it should be stressed that the aim and purpose of the film do come fully into focus in the last few minutes and that its portrait of Susan Anderson and of her son’s love for her come across in a way that is touching and real.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson, Susan Anderson, Bill Anderson, and the voice of Tobias Feltus.
Dir Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson, Pro Finlay Pretsell and Will Anderson, Ed Kieran Gosney, Music Richard Luke.
Screen Scotland/Screen Alba/BBC Scotland/Parcel of Rogues-Cosmic Cat.
60 mins. UK. 2022. UK Rel: 22 September 2023. Cert. 15.
