"Hachi: A Dog's Tale" (2009)

“Never forget anyone that you’ve loved.”  Ronnie, telling his classmates what he learned about loyalty from his grandfather’s dog.

Dogs will save the world.

I frequently make this statement to my husband and my friends.  I have loved dogs since childhood, and my appreciation for dogs has grown as I’ve matured.  If dogs were allowed to run things, the result would be a calmer, fairer, more loving and playful world. 

As we endured months worrying about coronavirus, compounded by rampant loss of income, political outrage, and now violent protest, one thing that has remained pure and constant is the presence of our canine companions.  

Some remarkable stories about dogs have emerged during this time, in print and on social media. They have amused us, surprised us, encouraged us, and moved us.

One story, about a dog in Wuhan, China who waited patiently in the hospital while his elderly owner was treated for severe Covid-19 complications, bears an uncanny similarity to a much earlier story, that was adapted into a film in 2009 called “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”.

“Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is based on a true story in 1930s Tokyo, about an Akita dog named Hachiko, the companion dog of Ueno Hidesaburo, a professor of Agriculture.  Hachiko followed Ueno to the Shibuya train station every morning to see him off to work; and every afternoon, he was back at the station to greet Ueno.  

After Ueno died suddenly at work, Hachiko appeared at that train station every afternoon for nine years , hoping Ueno would return.  

Hachiko became renowned for his devotion.  Soon after he passed away, a bronze statue of him was erected, and still stands at the Shibuya station in his honor.

The film is an updated and Americanized version of Hachiko’s story.  It is a movie for kids that doesn’t pander to them.  Perhaps it is better described as a kid’s movie for adults.  There is no phony cuteness, no forced humor.  It is slowly paced, beautifully photographed, and mixes a serious tone with gentle humor that arises naturally from the dog’s behavior.  

Nothing is hyped; it has a low-key style that runs counter to the usual, predictable, hyperkinetic children’s film. It is reflective, almost Zen-like.  And it will bring you to tears.

The film’s location has been moved to Rhode Island, with its autumnal, small-town warmth.  Hachi, an Akita puppy, is en route from Japan to a new home in America; but his crate is destroyed in a freak accident, the shipping label is torn and illegible, and he is stranded at the train station.

Parker Wilson, a music professor at a local college, finds Hachi, brings him home, and attempts to return him to his owner.  When no owner turns up, Hachi remains at the Wilson home, against the initial protests of Parker’s wife, Cate.  Soon, her heart is warmed, too. 

Seasons pass quickly, Hachi grows up, and daughter Andy gets married and has a son called  Ronnie.  Parker and Cate settle into a comfortable routine.  Hachi bonds with his beloved Parker, and waits for him every day at the train station.  Even Parker’s untimely death doesn't keep him from waiting, every day for many years, to the amazement of the townspeople.

The story is an extended flashback, told by Ronnie years later at school, while giving a presentation about Hachi titled “My Personal Hero”.

The film is shot in a straightforward manner, with frequent shifts to Hachi’s point of view, filmed in a low-to-the-ground, desaturated style. The dog is so attention-grabbing, that it is easy to ignore how beautifully cinematic the movie is, and how much of it is told visually.

I find it incredible that Sony Pictures chose not to release this film into American theaters, even after making a hefty profit overseas; instead, its American premiere was on the Hallmark Channel.  This was a major film, with big-name stars like Richard Gere and Joan Allen.  It was directed by the well-established Lasse Hallstrom (“Whats Eating Gilbert Grape?”, “My Life as a Dog”, “Chocolat”), with a score by Oscar-winner Jan A. P. Kaczmarek ("Finding Neverland").

Sony felt the film was “too small” for American theatrical distribution.  (It’s doubly perplexing, considering that Sony had more faith in titles like “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” and “The Pink Panther 2”.)

The movie boasts solid performances, especially by its two leads.  Richard Gere is somewhat unconvincing as a professor of music, but he is absolutely right as a man who develops a deep bond with this dog.  Gere is wonderful with Hachi.  He also has great chemistry with Joan Allen, who plays his wfe Cate.  

Joan Allen might be our generation’s Myrna Loy: she’s versatile, believable, and terribly underrated.  Her strong acting anchors the film, and takes “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” into a higher level of drama.

Anyone who has ever had a dog has known the profound sadness of its passing.  That sadness permeates the film, which is deepened by Kaczmarek’s mysterious, touching score.  Hallstrom is aware of this, and rightly refuses to manipulate our emotions.  His camera chronicles this amazing tale, and visually takes us right into the dog’s soul, especially in the final, almost wordless winter passages late in the movie.

During the pandemic, dogs have been right there, in the background, reminding us of their love and their importance to us.  Along with the funny and heartwarming on-line videos that gave us respite from the concerns of the day, dogs have been helping us through this crisis in lots of small ways.

Shelters saw a surge in dog adoptions, even as social distancing forced many of them to close.  Unable to visit our local adoption center, we bought a box of small dog biscuits instead, to feed our dog friends we encountered on our exercise walks through the park. It made us feel good.  The dogs loved it too.

Some scientists are training dogs to sniff out the coronavirus in the same way as they are able to detect diseases like cancer, or tumors.  During a dramatic sequence in “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”, Hachi mysteriously distracts Parker before he leaves for work, desperate to keep him from leaving.  We don’t understand this at the time, but Hachi probably sensed that Parker was gravely ill. Perhaps virus-detecting dogs will help identify infected people in public places as we return to a more normal life.

And in Wuhan, a little 7-year-old mutt named Xiao Bao came to the hospital with his elderly owner who was gravely ill with the virus.  The man passed away in five days.  But the dog refused to leave.  Hospital workers took pity on the unfortunate animal, feeding and sheltering him while he kept hoping to see his master again.  Staff members tried to remove the dog, and take him away from the hospital, but Xiao Bao kept returning. 

Xiao Bao remained at the hospital for three months.  Like Hachi, it was a display of extraordinary loyalty.  It’s a level of devotion that I, a mere human, can only aspire to.