This month is Power of Love month. Most of the website’s content is dedicated to those who are caregivers and helpmates. These characters believe their devotion earns them the right to constant affections. These Characters will do anything for love, be it for selfless or selfish reasons. Power of Love Characters can be mentors and, romantic or they can be stalkers and clingy, needy nightmares!

We will celebrate the month in which Valentine’s Day falls by examining these characters. I’ll be looking at some of these examples from TV, Film and elsewhere throughout the course of February.

White God

I have absolutely no idea how the Hungarian filmmakers behind White God pulled it off- the film features 200 trained stray dogs from the streets of Budapest. Imagine Planet of the Apes crossed with Homeward Bound – I cannot recommend this movie enough. In amongst this spectacle lies a classic Power of Love story.

It tells the tale of Lili (Zsofia Psotta), a young girl whose only friend is her dog Hagen. When she is forced to stay with her estranged father Daniel (Sandor Zsoter), whose apartment building does not allow pets, her father has no choice but to abandon her dog on the streets.

Lili, in her youthful innocence, believes that loves conquers all and that she can find Hagen again. Both Hagen and Lili go through hell in their attempts to be reunited. Neglected Hagen becomes a violent, vengeful canine who seeks revenge on those who have abused him along his quest, and leads an uprising of Dogs upon the city of Budapest.

Throughout the film, Lili believes in love. She believes she can win over her father, and change Hagen’s ways. Power of Love Characters have this incredible conviction which make them excellent parents, mentors and caregivers. Lili’s faith demonstrates Power of Love at its best. Hers is a selfless love, and unlike Hagen she maintains this love of another without fail right to the film’s incredible finale.

For more examples of Power of Love characters, check out my eBook about this Character Type at the ETB store.

Now on a lighter note. Today’s musing will be about my muse– “The Little Dog Who Lives Upstairs”.

I babysit for him quite a lot so he accompanies me to meetings, in dog-friendly cafes in Clifton/Bristol.  He watches the endless series television I keep up with on various streaming services, cuddling on the couch.  And he gives sage advice on the projects I am hired to work on.

Here he is in all his adorableness!

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He was scrawny boy, shy and small for his age, more interested in reading than playing ball.  It was not a good combination for making friends or being socially accepted in the South.

When town high school sports hero and kindly next door neighbor, Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson), enlists in the Army, Willie (Frankie Muniz) is bereft.  His determined charismatic mother (Diane Lane) defies her husband (Kevin Bacon) and buy a dog for the lonely child.

Skip teaches Willie some of life’s greatest lessons: how to be a good friend, how to engage with and be curious about others and the world around us, the power of forgiveness and how to be brave, loyal and true.  He helps Willie make the difficult transitions from childhood to boyhood to manhood with confidence, optimism and joy.  At one point, Willie almost loses Skip in selfish and traumatic incident and that only makes their bond stronger.

My Dog Skip is a great family film, which I missed on its initial release.  It is an instant streaming film on Netflix and a worthy addition to your queue.  It reminded me of my own first dog, Penney. She was a darling beagle pup who grew into a faithful companion.

I too was a shy kid, most comfortable in my room with my nose in a book.  Penney got me outside and like Skip, she attracted other kids. We spent hours teaching her to do tricks and putting her through her paces on elaborate obstacle course I built out of croquet hoops, small garden objects and cardboard boxes. She was ever patient, ever enthusiastic and ever willing to try new things.  Just exactly the way I wanted to be.  I still think about her.

A small note about the author.  Willie Morris was a writer and teacher of writing and had a wide circle of friends, including Yazoo City childhood buddies and well-known writers like James Jones (From Here to Eternity), Winston Groom (Forrest Gump’), William Styron (Sophie’s Choice), John Knowles (A Separate Peace), James Dickey (Deliverance) and Irwin Shaw (Rich Man, Poor Man). Another of his books Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood was made into a TV movie entitled The River Pirates.

My Dog Skip won the Broadcast Film Critics Award for “Best Family Film” for the year 2000, Silver Medal Giffoni Film Festival Award, Best Cast Young Star Awards, Silver Angel Award winner, ArkTrust Genises Award and the Christopher Award for Best Family Film.  It  came in at number 4 of Variety’s “dollar for dollar” most profitable films of the year 2000 and remained in Variety’s Top Ten video sales charts for five months after its video release.