[Review] Remember, a dog is for life
Think twice before you decide to buy a pet. We've all heard this advice, but many people choose to ignore it.
Giddens Ko, director of You Are the Apple of My Eye, hopes to raise awareness of abandoned animals with his new film, Twelve Nights. The documentary follows the story of stray dogs in a shelter in Taiwan.
Many stray dogs end up in government-run shelters where they have just 12 days to be adopted by new owners before being put down.
The movie is split into 12 chapters that show the dogs' lives in the shelter. Many don't even reach their 12th night, dying of hunger or disease before the fateful deadline.
Twelve Nights tries to spread a anti-abandonment message, and hopefully, the film will go some way to stopping the tragic practice, and see more dogs homed.
The film is haunting, as there is little dialogue, but the sound of dogs sobbing and howling in the background is pretty much constant. Dogs obviously can't use words to express their pain and hopelessness as they spend the final 12 days of their lives in horrible conditions. But you can feel their desperation.
This is a powerful movie which will break animal lovers' hearts. It will make you question how a so-called civilised society can allow animals to be treated so badly.