HBO's 'Well Groomed' director Rebecca Stern and dog groomer Catherine Opson reveal their inspiration to create the documentary
Coming to HBO on December 17 is a different kind of a documentary film that explores the exuberant world of competitive dog grooming and follows the lives of dog owners who are challenging the definition of art. 'Well Groomed', directed by Rebecca Stern, features several groomers that exhibit their talent for grooming pooches in the quirkiest fashion.
Seeking the opportunity, MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) caught up with Rebecca Stern and the featured professional groomer Catherine Opson to talk about their upcoming documentary. On being asked about the impulse to create this film, Rebecca says, "Once you see a picture of a creative dog grooming that's enough to draw you in, but really I just want to make a film that had joy at the basis of it and I want to focus on women, art and this is the confluence of all of them. So, I got really lucky and I also got to hang out with Catherine!"
Rebecca found Catherine when she first started filming 'Well Groomed'. She said she went to a few grooming competition shows and it was actually shot before it became a feature. She also added, "I didn't entirely know what I was doing, so I figured I would just show up and see what would happen. When Cat and I met, she was kind enough to give me a few minutes of her time and that's how the relationship started. That was about five years ago."
On being asked if anyone ever has taken a real interest in the work that goes into grooming dogs, Catherine says, "There's been a lot of interest and a few people have actually made features about it and that's probably why when she initially approached me. I was a little bit hesitant just because some people have presented it not the best way we wanted. So, we were a little anxious at first, but it became clear through the types of questions she was asking. She was going to tell the story of how it was and not make anything out if it that it wasn't."
Cat has been grooming pooches for over 23 years and " [...] about 12 years into it I was bored with it and I wanted to do hair, then I got a cosmetology license. I didn't like doing that either, so I decided I loved the dogs more than people. So, I took all the color and training I learned at cosmetology school and applied it to my career as a dog groomer and started creative dog grooming in 2009," says the artisan.
Rebecca has spent over five years making this film and she never saw any dog that was in distress. So, there wasn't any angle to go towards. She says, "other pieces have been done in more of a reality as sense whereas like this is a documentary. I wasn't looking to manufacture anything that wasn't necessarily there."
It is all about their art and it is an intense bonding experience with the dogs, between the women and the animals and so she focuses her film on exactly that. You can expect to see the whole grooming process from the beginning to the end, plus a multitude of styles to choose from and get inspired.
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Catch 'Well Groomed' on HBO GO and HBO NOW on December 17 at 9 pm ET.