Montana-made film 'The Year of the Dog' plays in Havre this weekend

Montana-made independent film "The Year of the Dog" will be showing in a special screening at Cottonwood Cinemas Friday through Sunday, and at least one of screenings will be attended by members of the cast.

The special screening is being held prior to the film's national release.

The film stars Rob Grabow, who is also the executive producer and co-director, Michael Spears, Jon Proudstar, Alyssa Groenig, Jeff Medley and Caleb playing the titular dog Yup'ik.

Grabow said the entire cast did an incredible job, but getting Michael Spears and John Proudstar for critical roles was especially amazing as both of them are very well known Indigenous actors with Spears having had a prominent role in "Dances with Wolves" and Proudstar having a role as a recurring character on FX and Disney's "Reservation Dogs."

Proudstar in particular, he said, sent him the best audition tape he'd ever seen when they were casting, and working with them and the crew was one of the coolest experiences of his life.

The film is about Matt, played by Grabow, an alcoholic who's made a mess out of his personal relationships and, after getting arrested, must stay sober for 30 days so he can see his mother in hospice one last time before she passes.

Along the way he is helped by Fred, played by Spears, a book-thumping AA follower determined to help him; Julie, played by Groenig, a delivery woman and ex-dogsledder whom he meets; and, most importantly, Yup'ik, portrayed by Caleb, a talented pull-dog with whom he forges a deep bond.

Grabow said the film is about reforging relationships, between one another, with oneself, and with animals, and how those relationships can empower everyone involved to overcome and deal with trauma.

"Fundamentally the film is about connection, and it's about healing," he said.

Grabow, while he was born in Montana, spent much of his life living in Alaska in Indigenous villages, where sled dogs were an integral part of life and necessary for survival.

"These were my formative years, this is how we learned to survive," he said.

While she is cancer-free now, Grabow's mother was battling the disease for much of his childhood and the trauma inflicted upon him and his family was what drove him to want to explore this theme of connection and healing more.

One of the connections he made in his own life was with a pull dog named Basil, who helped him get through those difficult times.

"He was my best friend," he said.

Basil died in a medical accident when he was over-anesthetized only a year after Grabow had taken him in, and the loss affected him tremendously, motivating him to honor his fallen friend in the film.

He said he's never experienced addiction himself, but it was something that many people in his early life had dealt with, and it seemed like an appropriate subject to explore in the film.

He said the film, which was largely produced in Montana, had a full production budget of $250,000 and the fact that the film has already gotten as much traction as it has with such an incredibly low budget, even by independent film standards, is a testament to the crew and their dedication.

Grabow and at least one other cast member will be at the screening Saturday at 7:10 p.m. but there may be others that have cast attendance and he's hoping people enjoy themselves.

He said given the setting and themes of the film, he wanted to screen it in smaller communities, and in towns close to Native American agencies, given how prominent Indigenous characters are in the film.

In Havre the film will show Friday at 4:25 p.m., 7:10 p.m., and 9:25 p.m., Saturday 1:40 p.m., 4:25 p.m, 7:10 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., and Sunday 1:40 p.m., 4:25 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.

Grabow said Havre was a place he used to visit when he was young, and the fact that he's able to come back and show the results of his and his team's work in a place with such significance to him is incredible.

"It's an honor," he said.

The film will also be showing in Polson, Cutbank, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Lewistown, Livingston and Dillon, but Grabow said they're may be many more to come.