Good Boy is a foreign horror film which gained notoriety in horror circles for its deeply unsettling and emotionally devastating plot and handling of characters. The plot centers around an extremely wealthy heir named Christian, who lives in isolation save for his dog Frank. The director makes no effort to hide the fact that Frank isn’t really a dog, but instead a man dressing and acting as one. The film does well to establish a sense of normalcy given the gravity of the situation, as Christian cares for and feeds Frank tenderly.

Despite enjoying a life of solitude, Christian decides to try his luck on the dating scene. He soon connects with a young Sigrid, and they agree to meet. Their immediate chemistry and ease of courtship upon meeting leads to Sigrid going home with Christian. After a seemingly wonderful night, Sigrid awakes to find herself face to face with Frank. Sigrid is startled and horrified, quickly deciding she wants out. Christian appears understanding, albeit somewhat dejected; he gives Sigrid a ride home. She has every intention to leave it there, but upon hearing about Christian’s massive wealth she decides to see him again, giving him an opportunity to explain himself.

Christian is very relieved to have a second chance with Sigrid. He explains that it is Frank’s choice to experience life as a dog and tells her it is very important that she treat him like a dog. And Sigrid, now under the impression that she is being respectful of Frank’s wishes by doing so, agrees to treat him as such. The couple continue to see each other for a few weeks before Christian suggests she join Frank and him on a trip to his cabin in the woods. It is here that Frank and Christian both reveal their true nature.

The film had a relatively small budget, which led the cast and crew to work even closer together, most of the second half being filmed in the director’s own home and the producer stepping in as an extra cast member. Since its premiere in 2022, Good Boy has only grown in popularity as a satirical take on the power dynamics between the sexes, and arguably more so, the power dynamics between man and dog. The biggest talking point of the film being Frank the “dog”. His costume became a staple of the film. Producer Marie Wade Grønning designed and produced the dog costume to match Bøe’s vision; not sophisticated, but deliberately awkward and minimalistic. The visual of the mask centered costume obscuring the actors face made room for the audience to project their own thoughts and feelings onto him. 

Due to the nature of the story and the character design, Nicolai Narvesen Lied, who portrayed Frank in the film, was made to take many breaks during shooting and was often replaced with Grønning herself. The role was very damaging to the self-esteem of the cast-members due to the degrading and uncomfortable scenario. During interviews the actors even expressed being treated differently on set while in costume which further amplified this theme of dangerous power dynamics even behind the scenes.