Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“I am sorry, but there was a dog on the road and instead of killing a dog, I’d rather hurt a bitch”
Thales Corrêa plays Rubian, a dim-witted, near-broke Uber driver, who has his moments of witticism, especially when dealing with nasty passengers. However, his life of hellish rides take a backseat when Rubian befriends an eccentric wealthy man named Borba and his pet pooch.
Written and directed by Thales Corrêa, the six-episode series “Doggy Bank” is based on a novel by Machado de Assis. The show is an easy-to-follow, quirky comedy centered around the young, goofy Rubian’s budding friendship with the philosophical, worldly-wise Borba (Anthony Moore). The central theme of this story revolves around the transformative power of small acts of kindness, even if motivated by personal gain. It underscores how such actions can significantly influence one’s fate, only to be jeopardized by a single impulsive decision.
Titled “Who is Borba?”, episode one first introduces Rubian, who gets a call to meet his half-sister Prana (Andrea Flowers) because she is sick. That’s how he finds out she is dating a rich old dude who is a famous YouTube ‘life coach’. But Borba doesn’t live on YouTube ad revenues; he comes from old money and has a massive inheritance. “The only thing you need to know is that he’s loaded,” Rubian is informed by his sister. However, Rubian gets to know the man first-hand when both of them are forced to quarantine themselves at Borba’s swanky residence as Prana passes them on whatever she was sick from. So, the only major anomaly in the rest of the series was how Borba’s staff doesn’t wear masks while working.
From the moment one lays their eyes on Borba, it’s pretty evident that a younger actor is buried in prosthetics; however, Anthony Moore is oddly charming in the role. Moore has a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a comic flair, which is slightly reminiscent of Jim Carrey’s portrayal of oddball characters, and Mr. Borba would’ve been right up the actor’s alley. Moore also plays Rubian’s stoner friend, who keeps giving him absurd ideas that would probably lead to no good. Thales Corrêa is low-key flamboyant and highly endearing as the simple-minded Rubian, and it’s his antics and body language that heighten the hilarity in many comic scenes.
The cinematography mixes a lot of different kinds of camera angles and shots, but since most of the story unfolds in Borba’s mansion, there’s a very stage-play-like quality to “Doggy Bank.” In fact, with a few tweaks to the tale, this would make a great comedic play. Episode two has a sequence where Rubian and Borba are talking to each other across different rooms, and it feels like it’s unfolding on a stage with a screen-divider between them. The background music in the series has some distinct Brazilian sounds, with some Choro-like pieces that were cheery and upbeat, complementing the funny scenes.
While “Doggy Bank” is swiftly paced, with a generous amount of little twists, the story ends too abruptly – it feels like Thales Corrêa wraps up the show just when things get interesting. Just one more episode with Rubian’s shenanigans would’ve been a lot more satisfactory than the way things end in episode six. Regardless, the series is a fun watch for those looking for offbeat character-driven comedies.
You can stream Doggy Bank on Prime Video.
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