Anyone who’s ever loved a dog won’t make it 12 seconds into Mine’s trailer without feeling like your heart’s been yanked out of your rib cage with pliers. How anyone will get through this movie without shedding a few tears (or completely dehydrating) is beyond me. Men taking dates, you are forewarned.

Mine was filmed during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when local filmmaker Geralyn Pezanoski realized how many residents were forced to abandon their pets during evacuation. She says, “Like millions of others I was devastated by images of the thousands of animals in distress – their helplessness bringing into even greater relief the chaos and overwhelming scope of the tragedy.” What followed was hundreds of interviews with New Orleans residents who were frantically searching for their pets, possibly the one thing they could salvage
from such overwhelming loss, and with the families who adopted them –and didn’t want to give them up.

Decorated with scads of critical acclaim from its tour of the independent film festivals, Mine is a documentary about the powerful bond between humans and animals, and how that bond can alleviate human suffering – until the rights to that animal come into question. Mine is a touching reflection on how the tensions of race and class can commingle with great compassion in the wake of a disaster.

Check out the trailer below. Plays January 8th to 14th at Roxie Theater. Opening night party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Double Dutch for all premiere ticket holders.