Mine

I watched this in "preparation" for a trip to New Orleans. I was expected my heartstrings to be tugged with multiple shots of sad puppies, but it turned out to be more complex than that. The title refers to the custody battles that went on after Katrina animals were adopted by other families, and the movie presents both sides of the story equally. Moral ambiguity pervades.

Animal lovers, keep a box of tissues handy. Katrina victims trying to manuever through an inefficient, multi-layered system to get their beloved dogs back from adoptive families reluctant to let go. Along the way, the film explores issues of racism and classism. At times that Pezonaski backs away from certain complexities that might have been interesting to follow, but the material is certainly compelling, and for anyone who has felt a strong emotional connection to an animal, deeply moving.

"Geralyn Pezanoski's doc about the efforts to reunite Hurricane Katrina victims with their lost pooches is pretty soapy stuff." - Andrew Schenker