Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life

In previous installments of this charming boy-and-his-dog film trilogy, the titular Pyrenean mountain dog and her best friend have conspired to defeat Nazis in the French Alps and rescue the freedom-fighting Angelina (Margaux Chatelier), a mother figure to the orphaned Sebastian. In the trilogy's final installment, it is Belle herself who needs rescuing. The film opens in the late 1940s, two years after the previous film, as the 12-year-old Sebastian (Felix Bossuet) is living an idyllic small-town life with Belle, who is now caring for her three adorable puppies, under the roof of their grizzled guardian, Cesar (Tcheky Karyo), his daughter Angelina, and her boyfriend, Pierre (Thierry Neuvic). Trouble begins, however, when a dark, menacing figure named Joseph appears, claiming to be the previous owner of Belle and forcibly demanding to take back the dog. From that point Sebastian is determined to do whatever is necessary to rescue Belle and her family from the heartless stranger. (Seattle International Film Festival)