Timely and thought-provoking, this film reflects what it’s like to struggle with mental health and isolation

Isolation in the digital age takes centre stage in Beware of Dog: the timely debut by Russian filmmaker Nadia Bedzhanova now available to stream online. The film premiered at Slamdance Festival in Park City, Utah, in January 2020, but its festival run was cut short due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Beware of Dog follows three young people in three different cities as they experience parallel struggles with mental illness and identity. In Moscow, a woman grapples with severe OCD, while her cousin in Berlin tries to battle bipolar disorder while building a romantic relationship. Simultaneously, a heartbroken boxer in New York City faces addiction and struggles with a lack of self-worth while struggling to get over a break-up.

Relevant and relatable, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Bedzhanova’s film explores a world in which we are more interconnected than ever, yet increasingly suffer from loneliness. As well as reflecting her own experience of living between Russian and American cultures, the director also drew from her own experience of hypochondria, germophobia and OCD, trying to come to terms with the conditions, as well as raising awareness of the daily struggles they entail.

You can now rent or buy Beware of Dog on Vimeo on Demand.