Set in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, The Dog Thief is told through the wild eyes of Martin, a teenager scraping together a living as a shoeshiner. Martin is an orphan and a loner with few friends and fewer opportunities, but he hatches an ill-conceived scheme to take advantage of his best client, the lonely, fastidious tailor Mr. Novoa. Martin conspires with another ruffian to steal Novoa's cherished German Shepherd companion, intending to scam a reward from the well-off man. But there's a secret buried in this uneasy relationship between the boy and his target that casts this melancholy, tightly constructed narrative in a new light. As they grow closer, and Martin draws out the endgame, the nature of this parable takes on new and surprising dimensions. Alfredo Castro gives an astounding lead performance, portraying this troubled, reticent adolescent as convincingly damaged but also deeply sympathetic. Between Tomicic's assured direction and Castro's soulful naturalism, The Dog Thief transcends sentimentality; instead it is urgent, thematically rich, but also enigmatic. By turns tense and introspective, with unmistakable shades of Italian Neorealism, this beautifully shot film pierces your heart like prime De Sica. ~OO