Norwegian horror-comedy Good Boy was released in 2022, but thanks to social media platforms like TikTok, the creepy movie is getting attention again for its surprising storyline, disturbing plot twist, and an ambiguous ending that'll leave you scratching your head.
Directed by Viljar Bøe, the film stars Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen as Sigrid, a student who meets a man named Christian, played by Gard Løkke, on a dating app. The two are attracted to each other and hit it off quickly after their first date, but their budding romance is interrupted by a major elephant in the room — or should I say a dog in the room. Christian lives with a man named Frank (Nicolai Narvesen Lied) who pretends to be a dog, complete with a dog costume he never takes off. Frank doesn't speak, walks on all fours, and even eats dog food out of a dog bowl.
But despite Sigrid's concerns, Christian acts like it's totally normal. So much so, that she begins feeling this way, too. After discovering that Christian is a millionaire with family money, Sigrid's friend and roommate Aurora (Amalie Willoch Njaastad) convinces her to give him a chance. In one scene, Aurora even jokes that if things work out, Sigrid won't have to finish school or work ever again. She might be kidding around, but the idea seems to tempt Sigrid, even if just a little.
Sigrid and Christian's romance begins to heat up, and though they've only been seeing each other for a short period of time, Sigrid agrees to go with Christian on a trip to his cabin. (If you're a horror movie fan, you'll know this probably won't end well.) Frank comes along, of course, and at this point, Sigrid is totally accepting of his lifestyle. Christian explains in private that Frank had trouble making friends when they were young and acting like a dog is what makes him feel good. Sigrid doesn't feel right judging Frank, and she begins to grow fond of him.
One night at the cabin, Sigrid and Christian get tipsy off wine and Frank uses this opportunity to alert Sigrid. When Christian is in the kitchen, Frank tells Sigrid that he's being held captive. Yikes! This isn't totally shocking, but I was starting to believe that Frank was dressing up as a dog on his own accord at this point. That's not the case, though, and Sigrid is seriously alarmed. She calls it an early night and begins trying to figure out what she should do.
During a walk in the woods with Frank alone, Sigrid asks them what their plan should be, and he tells her that they need to kill Christian in his sleep. She doesn't believe she's capable, but Frank is adamant.
Eventually, Christian finds out what Sigrid knows and what her plan is; he had some type of recording device on Frank while they were on their walk. He brings her into a room where Frank is being held in a cage with a gag in his mouth and his eyes covered. When he removes the gag, Frank bites him and starts going after him, which allows Sigrid to take Christian's keys and escape. She runs out into the woods, but after realizing she wants to save Frank, she returns to the house. Meanwhile, Christian tortures Frank.
Ultimately, Christian gets the upper hand and knocks out both Sigrid and Frank. Here's when things get weird — weirder, that is. The final minutes of the movie take place at a later time, though it's not confirmed how much time has passed. They're still at the cabin, though things are very different. Christian wakes up and gives Frank his breakfast before walking out to the shed, where Sigrid is chained up. She's wearing a dog costume of her own and is fully acting like a dog, with no sign of defiance.
The mysterious baby is likely Sigrid and Frank's child
Christian gives Sigrid her food and tells her she can sleep in the house if she's a good girl, news she seems very excited to hear. He leaves her in the shed to enjoy her food, and despite her new reality, she seems...fine? We then cut to Christian back in the cabin, preparing another meal of dog food. He sets the dog bowl in front of a baby we haven't seen before, who crawls over wearing a dog onesie. He begins eating the food with his hands as the screen cuts to black. That's the ending!
Considering there's only one woman in the equation, we can assume Sigrid is the mother of the baby. But who's the dad? One interpretation that I favor is that Christian bred Sigrid and Frank together to produce more human-dogs. There's one moment earlier in the movie that might foreshadow this, when Sigrid asks Christian if Frank ever has sex and Christian asks if she's volunteering. It's possible that the baby is Christian's, but that one intentional moment makes me think it's likely Frank's. That would be the more twisted version, at least.
Sigrid seems used to her new life as a dog, and while I'm not convinced she's happy, this does signal that a good chunk of time must have passed. This can't be the day after, because if it was, I'm sure she would be freaking out and doing everything in her power to escape — which she probably did at first. Now, she's accepting her reality for whatever reason. She might be plotting an escape, or she might realize that the only way she can be with her baby is to stay there. This is just my interpretation, but it would make sense, right?
Whatever the case is, it's comically twisted that now Sigrid doesn't need to continue studying or working because of her new dynamic with Christian, something she considered earlier on in the movie. Of course, I assume this isn't how she imagined it working out, but it happened. How unsettling.
Given its disturbing plot and short runtime (about 80 minutes), I'm not surprised Good Boy is going viral. For a "weird" movie, it's very accessible and probably won't faze hardcore horror fans. It's not one I'd particularly recommend, but I'm glad I checked it out nonetheless.
Watch Good Boy on Tubi and Amazon Prime Video.