Lawn Dogs

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Lawn Dogs

Directed by	John Duigan
Produced by	Duncan Kenworthy
Written by	Naomi Wallace
Starring	Mischa Barton Sam Rockwell
Music by	Trevor Jones
Cinematography	Elliot Davis
Editing by	Humphrey Dixon
Distributed by	Rank Film Organization (UK) Strand Releasing (USA)
Release date(s)	November 21, 1997 May 15, 1998
Running time	101 mins.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$8,000,000 (estimated)
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IMDb profile

Lawn Dogs is a (1997) drama film directed by John Duigan and screenwritten by Naomi Wallace. It stars Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton. Although filmed in Louisville, Kentucky in the U.S., Lawn Dogs is a British film produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Lawn Dogs won numerous film awards at film festivals in Europe.

[edit] Plot

The term "lawn dog" refers to someone who mows lawns, and the main character, Trent Burns (Rockwell), is doing just that when he meets a lonely 10-year-old girl Devon Stockard (Barton), who comes from a wealthy family in suburban Louisville, Kentucky that has isolated her. Trent lives in a trailer in the woods, and Devon lives in a gated community with a security guard.

They strike up an adventurous friendship, which is later misunderstood by the townspeople, who begin to suspect that Trent is a child molester. (Ironically one of his adversaries is, but Trent is not). The film is a somewhat critical view of exurban growth and the impact they may have on the original rural residents, and in one sense a fairy tale of a 'gated' America, where class hostility and suspicion are the true fuel for violence.