Christmas is a time for movie nights accompanied by mince pies and Baileys, but there's one film Netflix users are urging people to think twice about before watching.
Honestly, even the trailer might be too much:
It can often be tough to please everybody when settling down to watch a film at Christmas - some people want the light-hearted romance of The Holiday, others want the action of Die Hard, and a few are happy with just sticking on a new title and seeing what happens.
If you look set to fall into the latter category this festive season, then this warning is for you.
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It comes following the arrival of Hachi: A Dog's Tale; a drama which was originally released in 2009 but which has just recently arrived on the streaming platform for your viewing pleasure. Okay, pleasure is probably the wrong word.
It's not that the film is bad - it's actually received a very positive Audience Score of 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Instead, viewers are warning that Hachi: A Dog's Tale is just plain heartbreaking.
The drama tells the story of an abandoned dog who is taken in by a college professor, who naturally goes on to form an unbreakable bond with the lovely pup. Cue the lump in the throat.
It's a remake of Kaneto Shindo's 1987 Japanese film Hachikō Monogatari, and stars Richard Gere, Joan Allen and three very good dogs, Chico, Layla, and Forrest, all of whom play Hachi.
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One viewer user gave the film a top score of 5/5 after watching it, though admitted they cried the entire time.
"'the best dog movie ever made'. I couldn't stop my tears," they wrote, adding: "'Hachi' is not just a dog movie; its [sic] an emotional journey based on true events in Japan. The loyalty in Dogs is unmatchable to anything, anyone. A must watch film. Rating: 5/5."
Another Netflix user wrote: "if anyone wants a good cry watch hachi: a dog’s tale on netflix. i just sobbed so hard i almost threw up 11/10."
Admittedly 'sobbing so hard you almost throw up' isn't what everyone looks for in a movie, so if you're hoping for a less tearful festive season then this probably isn't the film for you.
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For those who think they will be able to handle it - aka, not me - Hachi: A Dog's Tale is now streaming on Netflix.
Topics: TV and Film, Netflix, Animals
Emily Brown