A must see IMHO.I have no clue where ppl are coming from with comments like this could be more?BDSM for me has taught me to appreciate what is. including everything.This movie touches on so much...I can't write it all. ...Slavery (willing and not)...predgidism...Zoophilia......I could go on and on...but its braded (IMHO) in a love story (or stories depending on perspectives).I could watch this movie over and over. ..its past thought provoke'n. what it IS is also what it isn't and it is awesome...IMHO.

I was more than impressed by this very different exploration into human dynamics. I am more than impressed by the resounding polarization of people who have taken the time to review this movie.I hesitated to write about The Pet because I am not a reviewer of any stretch of the imagination but I found the galvanizing affect of those from I guess the Bondage/Discipline community seem really having a problem in a film that some perceive as depicting a "lifestyle". Well for one who does not care for fetishism or such - get over it - the Pet is a well made movie; maybe not by the American standards of spoon fed potpourri of car chases, CSI investigations or the horror/slash genres. I really do not think it dealt with the BDSM thing at all.To me it was well crafted and layered - showing character's strength and weaknesses as well as the evil and good in our so often manufactured lives controlled by powers that we do not know even exists.I thought the acting was thoughtful, deliberate and engaging. Not growing up in America may have given me a different perspective but I really did get the vintage thoughtfulness of Bergman and Kubrick (Wild Strawberries and Clockwork Orange respectively).I decided to write after watching The Pet an additional viewing. This time I watched it with several friends and indeed we talked about it for quite some time.

After the initial shock, for the mainstream lifestylers a.k.a. "newbies," who are under the mistaken, but albeit understandable, impression that the BDSm lifestyle, be it leather or non-leather, must, by definition, include a St. Andrews Cross at some private home/club/dungeon or a pair of floggers and leather pants, wears off, many will begin to see just how much of a lifestyle movie "The pet" is in both substance and form.Believe it or not, years from now, this is a movie that will be spoken of in the same regard as movies "Story of O" and "Secretary." Why? Compared to the two other movies just mentioned, "The pet" comes the closest, ever in My humble opinion, to authentically portraying what one possible 24/7 Master and slave relationship would look like – this relationship happens to use an Owner/pet dynamic to express the M/s relationship.And I note the Master did have the pet sign a slave contract after all. ;) Moreover, and contrary to popular belief, there are many different and unique relationships in the lifestyle worldwide that do not exactly fit into a Master and slave paradigm. For example, one relationship may involve three people, Master A owning slave A, and slave A also being a Master to another slave, slave B, and all of this working harmoniously under one roof. With that said, "The pet" is but one of the many types of relationships that can manifest upon a foundation of BDSm. It is through this lens "The pet" is best, if not properly, viewed.To be quite candid, the acting overall is not going to be up for an academy award this time around – but this actually helps make the movie seem more real. The people who played the Master and the pet did an outstanding job, especially the pet. Edmondson, the actress who played the pet, is not properly depicted in any of the promotional material, and probably for good reason on a personal level, as taking on this role was certainly a risky venture in the uptight "fantasy vanilla world" where no one is as they seem – and having her face plastered everywhere might raise problems with the hypocrites that plague that fantasy world. If that would not have been a problem for her, then this was a serious error in judgment. Edmondson is stunning to just look at, a solid 9 in My peculiar book, and her face on the cover and posters would have attracted more attention. Also, for someone who is not into the lifestyle, her acting is so convincing that I am sure watching this movie would move some seasoned Masters to believe Edmondson is probably slaving in her private life – I cannot say I was so fooled. ;) The actor, who portrays the Master, Du Lat, fit the role of an eccentric man of wealth well and portrayed those of his ilk in the real world of the lifestyle with impressive accuracy. His love of his previous pet, an actual canine, inspired him to seek out a similar relationship with a fellow human being – and showing amazing depth and understanding of the complexity of the lifestyle, the Master character does not have a sexual relationship with his pet. It is one of service, which can be just as pleasing, if not more so.An interesting contrast between the subtleties of fiction and reality is the fact the pet was paid/offered large sums of money for her submission/agreement to serve him as his pet – in reality, and more often than not, no such payment is required, and interestingly enough, a woman will give everything she has and more to be at the foot of a Master. I also appreciated how quickly the pet character submitted and fell into her new role, because, as hard as it may be for a vanilla person/mainstream lifestyler to believe, when a woman finds a Master she can surrender to, she submits wholly and with great haste – something the Master must handle with great care. Towards the end of the movie, and with great credit to D. Stevens, it is made clear that the money is meaningless to the pet and that all she wants in the world is to be at her Master's feet.In the end, it was the Master's Pride that ripped His happiness away, just as it does for Us all in the lifestyle time and time again in one way or another. For budding Masters and Dominants, the lesson concerning the destructive nature of Pride makes this movie a must see. I also suggest the Shakespearian poem: "The Rape of Lucrece." Although the intent of the movie was to bring the international slave trade to light, which is did and did surprisingly well, My humble opinion is that this movie's greatest impact will be how it heightens a much needed awareness of not only the existence of the lifestyle for vanillas plugged in and trapped in their fantasy based prison, but it will also raise a much needed awareness of the rich diversity that exists in the lifestyle itself in the minds of T/those in the leather and non-leather BDSm communities alike who are similarly trapped in cliques paradigms.S.

The acting wasn't great...Andrea Edmondson sounded as she was reading most of her lines but the story it's self was what draws you in. The only movie you can compare it to is The Secretary which was the first BDSM to hit the mainstream. I actually liked this movie better than The Secretary. I enjoyed the eroticism of it -the time it took to show how a person can become someone's pet. If you can go into it with an open mind, you can allow all types of possibilities to emerge.There are inherent storyline flaws but I overlooked them. The ownership was erotic to me, the branding, the cage it's self. (A triangle cage does NOT look comfortable!) I feel people outside of the "scene" will not appreciate it (if they see it at all) but for those into BDSM, it's a welcome addition. Not the end all be all, but certainly a start into what will hopefully be a growing genre.