Dogfight
San Francisco, 1963. On their last night before being shipped to Vietnam, young marine Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix) and his friends decide to have some fun by hosting a ‘dogfight’ - a game where each of them has to find the most unattractive date for the evening, the guy with the “ugliest” date winning the cash pot. Eddie, almost in desperation, picks Rose (Lili Taylor), a sensitive young woman with a love for poetry and folk music. But what begins as a night of cruel insensitivity gradually moves towards sympathy, understanding and connection.
The second film from director Nancy Savoca (her first, True Love, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1989), Dogfight went under the radar on release, but soon gained a loyal following when released on home media. The casting is perfect - Taylor, as Rose, blooms as the film progresses, and Phoenix gradually reveals a sensitivity to Eddie that the viewer cannot help but be affected by. Two young actors hitting their stride.
A bittersweet tale of forgiveness sparked from the chemistry between two souls.
Watch our Programme Manager, Si Edwards talk about why he picked this film as one of his must-see movies of CIFF 2025, here.
