Mike Pinkney has a unique way of looking at life. He doesn’t have much, but he wants someone to appreciate his video art projects and it might be nice if his landlord would call an exterminator. Mike Pinkney grooms dogs for a living, but spends his existence visualizing his thoughts and experiences into his art. She’s Allergic to Cats mixes the grotesque with a blend of colors and images to craft a serial depiction about wanting more in life.
Written and directed by Michael Reich, She’s Allergic to Cats is about a guy who struggles to express himself outside of his art. Reich’s semi autobiographical film depicts the life of a dog groomer who works on video art projects. Reich, a former dog groomer who has directed music videos for bands like My Chemical Romance and the Shins, has imbued his experiences into the character of Mike Pinkney (played by Mike Pinkney). The direction is startling with bold colors and there is a lot of experimentation with visual and sound. One scene, in particular, stands out where Mike takes a drink of soda and the sounds of crashing glass is heard. This is jarring and produces a surprising effect as Mike begins to choke.
Surreal and strange, Mike Pinkney and the rest of the cast seem to have fun with dialogue as he dramatically delivers the line “Ducks don’t have boobs.” Filled with eccentric characters, Mike often interacts with his extremely calm and way too laid back landlord Honey, who is too busy with his performances to actually manage his properties. MIke’s love interest Cora (Sonja Kinski) is very intense and mysterious and delivers her lines dramatically and wonderfully. Funny and gross with the touch of ironic melodrama, She’s Allergic to Cats is visually arresting while creating some oddball characters.
She’s Allergic to Cats premiered at the Fantasia International Film Fest and will be available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes on April 7th
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