Martin, ein 15-jähriger Waisenjunge, arbeitet neben dem Schulbesuch als Schuhputzer auf den Straßen von La Paz, Bolivien. Weil er schon in jungen Jahren zum Waisen wurde, hat er eine Unterkunft bei Gladys, einer alten Freundin seiner verstorbenen Mutter. Diese bietet nicht nur Martin, sondern auch seinem Freund Sombras ein Dach über dem Kopf in dem Haus, wo sie als Haushälterin für eine alte Dame arbeitet. Getrieben durch seine eigene Phantasie und die Erzählungen von Gladys glaubt Martin, dass einer seiner Kunden, Señor Novoa, sein Vater sei. Novoa ist ein einsamer Schneider und behandelt seinen ständigen Begleiter Astor, einen Deutschen Schäferhund, wie einen Sohn. Um Lösegeld zu erpressen, aber eben auch, um an Novoa her anzukommen, überredet Martin seinen Freund Sombras, mit ihm den Hund zu stehlen. Dieser Plan scheint zunächst aufzugehen.

Martín is a 15-year-old shoeshine boy working on the streets of La Paz, Bolivia. Orphaned from a young age, Martin lives with Gladys, a friend of his late mother. She hasgiven Martin and his friend Sombras shelter in a tiny room under the stairs of the old housewhere she works as a maid. Fueled by his im-agination and Gladys‘s stories, Martin begins to suspect that one of his best clients, Mr. Novoa, is his father. Mr. Novoa is a lonely tailor whose only family is Astor, a German shepherd that he treats like a son. Martin convinces Sombras to help him steal the tailor‘s dog. He pretends that he is after some ransom money, but in reality Martin just wants to use it as an opportunity to connect with Mr. Novoa. When Mr. Novoa, desperate to find his dog, really offers a reward, Martin approaches him. His plan seems to work

A gloomy yet heartwarming journey of finding one’s place in the world.

THE DOG THIEF charms viewers with a heartwarming depiction of an unlikely friendship. [Alfredo] Castro’s presence commands the screen.

The city of La Paz is also captured with a somewhat harsh yet honest sentimentality. Each detour down a cobblestone road or casual hangout in century-old buildings is displayed in all its beauty. Salinas sincerely makes the city feel like a living, breathing entity, leading to the cinematography becoming the definitive highlight of THE DOG THIEF. The score by French composer Wissam Hojeij also stood out, blending and implementing jazz-based motifs alongside Bolivian music. [...] Vinko Tomičić Salinas’s solo directorial debut feature THE DOG THIEF displays he’s more than a capable talent on his own, but an emerging voice that we should all be keeping an eye on.