The hidden version of the space war between the USSR and the US, where hundreds of animals involuntarily lent their bodies to science.
Laika, a dog that was wandering the streets of Moscow, was the first living creature to be sent to space. Turned into a heroine, the official tale concealed the cruel experiments she suffered and how she died disintegrated in the earth's atmosphere. Far from mystifying the space war between the USSR and the US, Space Dogs offers the hidden version of the story, where hundreds of animals involuntarily lent their bodies to science.
In this scary story, humans hand over the limelight to two stray dogs that live a miserable life in a hostile contemporary Moscow, as well as two turtles and a monkey. By placing the camera at the height of the dogs' eyes, we follow their hardship to survive, and we simultaneously discover in disbelief previously unseen archive footage showing animal experimentation in the name of science and progress. A tribute to these animals and a powerful opposition to anthropocentrism that makes us reflect on whether the end justifies the means.
*This film contains images that some viewers may find disturbing
