Movie Thoughts: Eat Pray Bark (2026)

• Released: April 1st, 2026
• Directed by: Marco Petry
• Running time: 1h 31min
• Rating 3.5/5

Synopsis

A cast of colorful characters and their misbehaving dogs travels to the Tyrolean Alps where they are to receice special training from the mystical Nodon. But the interpersonal conflicts rise, and Nodon might be hiding a secret...

My Thoughts

This gets low reviews and while I can honestly see why (it is kind of a cringe movie at times), but honestly I had a good time with it. I just wanted a feelgood German movie with some cute dogs and pretty landscapes, and that's what I got. Not every movie needs to be high art for it to be enjoyable.

The characters are a bit of a mixed bag, though. They did grow on me eventually, but they can also get on one's nerves (especially early on) with how much they're fighting. I especially didn't care much for Ursula at first, but she did eventually develop into a better person, making her more likable. I personally really liked Babs.

The plot with them working together to uncover Nodon's secret was pretty engaging to me. I did wish that maybe the twist regarding Nodon wasn't given away to the audience quite this early in the film, to keep the suspense more and make it more surprising when the main characters do find out. But the execution wasn't bad, either. 

The cinematography is pretty bland, but there are some really pretty landscapes in this. And if you like cute dogs, that's a plus because there's plenty of that here. 

Overall this is just not a great movie, but it's nonetheless a movie I enjoyed quite a bit. I wouldn't really outright recommend this or anything unless you really like dog movies, but it's nonetheless a pretty good time.