Avondale dogs is a little jewel. A coming-of-age story about a little white boy in love with his Maori neighbor kid. His mother is dying, he's worried, does childlike mischiefs and dreams about a crashed pie truck. Nicholas' short is full of sensitivity, he achieves in a few minutes to translate the whimsical quality of childhood, the terrible burden of life uncertainties, and the magic found on the most common activities. By a strange coincidence, every time the boy does something "bad", like shooting the neighbor's pigeons, his mother gets worst. This imbues guilt in a very subtle manner, there's a quiet desperation behind the boy's eyes. Damien Lay is an extraordinary actor, able to portrait fragility mixed with a complex and indelible innocence. A very beautiful and moving film.
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