A Dog’s Will also provides an incisive look at religion in Brazil, far from the preaching, distanced aesthetic that permeates popular afternoon shows on free-to-watch television funded by the Evangelical church, and cinema offerings such as The Ten Commandments and Nothing to Lose. Aided by production and set design that grants great beauty to religious imagery, the portrayal of Catholicism is led by mercy, and a precious chance at redemption and equality for those doomed to live in an eternal state of wanting.
members point out the film’s portrayal of religion as a positive force and bonding mechanism, changing their view of not just a specific kind of Brazilian Catholicism but religion altogether. “I’m not a Catholic nor religious, however, to watch [this film] and understand how religion is important to the majority of the Brazilian people, especially those living in extreme poverty who have nothing to call their own but their faith, made me just as emotional as a person of faith,” writes Vic. “It’s a beautiful religion, with beautiful intentions, and a place where people can find a reason to live.”
Zach echoes this, stating that “a lot of people will disregard it due to the heavy-handed Catholic messaging, but its compassionate treatment of the poor and its offer of a way out through Christ make its continued importance and relevance to Brazilians apparent.” Juno points out that “even if you don’t follow a certain religion, let alone Catholicism, it is impossible not to find beautiful the idea of evil being eternally submissive to good.” The very idea of religion reaching for the emotional instead of the regimented determines much of the sentimentality of A Dog’s Will, which humanizes faith by focusing on people as the mirrors of the holy—and the holy, therefore, imperfect in reflection.
