‘Dogwatch’ Explores Toxic Masculinity and Absurdity of War With Humor and Style

Vying for the top prize at Swiss international doc film festival Visions du Réel, Gregoris Rentis’ debut feature “Dogwatch” is a stunning, stylized triptych that follows the stories of mercenaries Yorgos, Costa and Victor.All three work as private guards hired by ships crossing the so-called High Risk Area of the Somali coastline to protect their cargo from pirates. But what was a necessity in the late 2000s no longer makes sense a decade later due to the steady drop in attacks from pirates.The resulting absurdity of their ongoing training and presence on land and at sea transpires through this film laced with slapstick comedy moments infused with hyper-charged masculinity.Variety caught up with Rentis, who explained that his doc was seven years in the making as he faced the challenge of finding a shipping company willing to allow them onboard, getting the go ahead from maritime security and casting his characters....