Christian has decided to breed cats, and he is all in. His cats go everywhere with him, whether on a ferry to another country, to a ski resort, or to what I can only assume is a European Costco. I realize that is not an extremely long list but All Cats Are Grey in the Dark is not an extremely long film, so there were probably more destinations that didn’t make the cut.

I would have been interested to see more of the world surrounding Christian and his cats, because the few shots outside Christian’s home are my favourite parts of the movie. Those scenes really capture the separation between Christian (and his cats) and literally everyone else. It’s striking how much of a barrier is put up by a person having two cats on his shoulder as he goes about his day. He sits alone at the slope-side bar, there is no one else in sight at the pet store, and his veterinarian is the only person Christian talks to directly during the 18-minute runtime of All Cats Are Grey in the Dark.

Which is not to say that there is no other dialogue. Christian is very chatty with his cats. The three of them seem quite happy to do their own thing, especially when that thing involves staring hungrily at mice at the aforementioned EuroCostco (it’s exactly as pictured in Tom and Jerry). More accurately, Christian seems happy, because cats always seem angry no matter what they are doing.

I can’t help but feel sad for Christian as he lives in self-imposed exile; and can’t help but wonder how much different his life would be if he had decided to breed dogs and in doing so, avoided turning into a guy with two cats on his shoulder.

Screens (as part of Short Cuts Programme 03):
Friday, September 13, Scotiabank, 5:45 PM