Shag(1978)

Shag is a Japanese film following Shiro Akitsu's desperate search for his abducted seven-year-old daughter. Armed only with a whistle she once gave him, Akitsu summons an Ainu dog to aid his relentless pursuit. The film combines elements of family drama and adventure as a father's determination to recover his child drives him forward against mounting obstacles. With the loyal dog as his unlikely companion, Akitsu navigates a journey that tests both his resolve and his bond with the animal helping him track his daughter. The story explores themes of parental love and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child, grounded in the practical reality of a man using every resource available to him, no matter how unconventional.