Of all the claims — medical, spiritual, religious, et al — that we have heard all our lives (and now swipe through every night in the form of Instagram Reels), one can be proved beyond doubt — a dog is the best therapist man can have. I say this out of personal experience, with even the presence of my dog proving to be an instant mood-lifter for me; in some instances, even a gentle lick or a paw touch has brought me back from some very dark spaces in my mind.
Caramelo is the kind of film that will find a space in the heart of every dog lover. In fact, even if you aren’t, it will still make you both chuckle as well as cry. The charming, unassuming Brazilian film doesn’t break any new ground in the form of storytelling or style, but is one which will instantly warm your heart.
Featuring Amendoim, which in Portuguese means ‘peanut’, as Caramelo, this 101-minute film, streaming on Netflix, focuses on our protagonist, a stray dog inspired by the Brazilian “vira-lata” mutts, who have unofficially become the national symbols of the country and represent qualities of resilience and adaptability.
Abandoned when he is a few months old, Caramelo wanders through the streets of Sao Paulo for three years till destiny brings him to the kitchen of Pedro (Rafael Vitti). A young, ambitious chef, Pedro gets a promotion at work that very night — thanks to the antics of Caramelo — and takes him home. However, ill-equipped to take care of a dog as a bachelor, Pedro drops Caramelo at a shelter, but life-changing circumstances — in which the dog has a big part to play — make him bring the adorable canine home, with director Diego Freitas crafting a story that talks about life’s ups and downs, but also the fact that having a dog by your side through it makes everything much better.
What stands out in Caramelo is the easy chemistry between Vitti and his canine co-star. The rest of the cast — especially Arianne Botelho as Camila and Bruno Vinicius as Leo — fit their parts perfectly.
The fact that Amendoim was actually a stray adopted by the production team and trained to star in the film makes Caramelo even more special. The end will make you both smile and shed a tear, reiterating that the bond between man and dog can weather every setback.
“Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail,” rock star Kinky Friedman said once. Caramelo hits home, in more ways than one, whether you have a dog or not in your life. And yes, adopt, don’t shop.
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