I got a free pass to see an advance screening of the film Year of the Dog yesterday (thanks, Boston Vegetarian Society).

Mike White, the writer/director, took questions after the screening. He said that the story was loosely autobiographical, that his life was drastically altered after a cat, who he had found and adopted, died in his arms on Christmas Day.

In the fillm, Molly Shannon plays Peggy, a 40-ish secretary whose dog, Pencil, dies. She is devastated, but no one around her seems to grasp how much losing Pencil has affected her. Finding humans "disappointing," she becomes an ardent animal advocate and activist.

I don't know if people who aren't already animal lovers will see this film, so it is hard to say if it will have any pro-animal influence. However, because the films deals with pet overpopulation, animal rescue, laboratory testing on animals, and factory farming, it is sure to create some awareness. The film has already done some good for animals: White said that some scenes were filmed in an actual animal shelter and, by the end of the day, many of the dogs were adopted by members of the film crew.

Photos: Peggy and Pencil