Nathan Deming’s ‘Dog Days’ turns boredom into thrills and possibility

The “dog days of summer” are named as such because in ancient times, the Romans associated sweltering weather with the star Sirius — at least that’s what Wikipedia tells me. In his short film “Dog Days,” Tomah native Nathan Deming employs a slightly different interpretation on the hottest time of the year, and one that’s far more literal.

It’s tough to say whether devil-may-care brothers Steven (Joran Backes) and Isaac (Clayton Backes) have any legitimate interests as their oddball time-killers include provoking backyard anthills and playing mind-numbing sessions of Wii. Steven has homework he should probably be doing but when the brothers’ dog Lily goes missing, the two find their silent prayers for something to do answered.

Thin on story, “Dog Days” is all about mood. Deming draws from his leads’ improvised dialogue that’s as stilted and awkward as the place in life they likely find themselves, and the absence of a score gives the quiet background trickles of the porch’s wind chimes a gentle serendipity. This naturalism makes a hot, quiet summer afternoon feel knowable and ripe for the taking, so when Steven first leaves the house swinging a stick to and fro like a scabbard, he’s too old to be fighting dragons, but running into a bear in the backwoods doesn’t seem like a stretch.

However unlikely, bears are certainly on the minds of Steven and Isaac as their search for the family retriever culminates in a tense and restrained reveal. Deming never outright explains what’s happened to Lily but more valuable than any answer is a lean deployment of Steven’s aimlessness. Whether intentional or not, “Dog Days” feels close and personal to Deming; perhaps it’s because it saw a return to his hometown in the midst of a three year stint at the London Film school. It’s a big leap to liken Steven’s skyward glances into the sun as some kind of artistic expression of Deming’s future, but the isolating and even provocative staging finds a connective tissue between young adult life and adolescence’s sweet spot.

[Watch the trailer for “Dog Days” below]