Lawn Dogs

Lawn Dogs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Duigan
Written byNaomi Wallace
Produced byDuncan Kenworthy
Starring
CinematographyElliot Davis
Edited byHumphrey Dixon
Music byTrevor Jones
Distributed byRank Film Distributors (United Kingdom)
Strand Releasing (United States)
Release date
  • 21 November 1997 (1997-11-21) (United Kingdom)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£6.9 million
Box office$106,404

Lawn Dogs is a 1997 British independent Southern Gothic fantasy-drama film directed by John Duigan and written by Naomi Wallace. Set in Wallace's home state of Kentucky, The film tells the story of a precocious young girl (Mischa Barton) from an affluent suburban gated community who befriends a redneck landscaper (Sam Rockwell) and examines the societal repercussions of their friendship. The film was released by Rank Organisation and was the company's last production.

Although filmed in Louisville and Danville, Kentucky, in the United States, Lawn Dogs was a British film produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Lawn Dogs won numerous film awards at film festivals in Europe and met with generally positive reviews, with praise for the performances of Barton and Rockwell in particular.

It was the last film financed by the Rank Organisation. The Rank Group sold its film interests to Carlton Communications in April 1997 and in September that company shut down Rank's distribution and production arms.