“Can I pet your dog,” asks a perfectly nice person.

“No,” I state unapologetically, “she bites.”

The thing I love most about Bette is that she took her job seriously. My dog the moment I looked her in the eye, we had a tacit agreement – I’ve got your back. The balance between us felt natural, no need for language.

In Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, this unspeakable bond is the motif. Contrasting emotional involvement with communication, there’s enough metaphorical fodder to sate any analyst. From platonic love to daddy issues, relationships are lauded and mocked simultaneously. It’s a perfectly unforgiving world that doesn’t relent. Personally, I was brought to tears multiple times from the sheer drama of familiar moments. Any dog lover will be.

That said, Isle of Dogs is a saga effecively transcending its surface elements. Animal Farm meets Looney Tunes, if I have to peg it. I ascribe more grace to the creator than that but ultimately good drama speaks for itself. The lessons learned in this movie are familiar and intimate. That doesn’t take away from the humor and poignancy employed here. Watch it if you can.