We all love those viral videos showing service dogs providing aid and comfort to military veterans, the disabled and thousands of others who benefit from the support provided by these specially trained canines. And we marvel and sometimes shake our heads at features about “unconventional” service animals, from kangaroos to pot-bellied pigs to bearded dragons to hedgehogs and I kid you not there was a story just this week about an alligator named Wally who provides emotional support to a Pennsylvania man.
What about those animals, though? Is it fair to them to turn them into support creatures for humans? We’re about halfway through the warmhearted and inspirational and seemingly non-controversial coming-of-age drama “Gigi & Nate” when we’re suddenly confronted with those questions. This is one of the more sudden and unexpected turns in any movie I’ve seen this year, and while it’s not likely to change anyone’s mind on a hot-button subject, it adds intellectual and emotional heft to a story that had seemed to reach its natural conclusion after about an hour.
