Gonzaga alum returns with initial feature film ‘Year of the Dog’

Rob Grabow knew enough when he sat down to write a script to follow the old adage: Write what you know.

That script resulted in a new film, “Year of the Dog,” which opens Friday at the Village Centre Cinemas Wandermere and around the country.

While the story focuses on a loner alcoholic who must maintain sobriety for 30 days in order to visit his dying mother, that’s not the “write what you know” part of Grabow’s tale.

Grabow, 41, isn’t much of a drinker at all. However, the 2005 Gonzaga University graduate, who wrote, produced co-directed and stars in the poignant film, was inspired by what his mother experienced as a drug and alcohol counselor. Grabow also was moved by his time growing up in rural Holy Cross, Alaska, which is where he saw how pervasive alcoholism is in the vast Last Frontier.

“So much of what I’ve written is pulled from my mother, who worked in a women’s prison,” Grabow said from his Bozeman home. “Some of my mother’s closest friends were in recovery. I’ve seen so many people struggling to get their lives together.”

Grabow couldn’t help but notice how life in Alaska can lead to a dependence. “You add up the relative isolation, the darkness, the cold and the genetic disposition,” Grabow said. “You can see how so many people are alcoholics.”

The film, however, is less about alcohol than redemption. Ultimately, “Year of the Dog,” which features a scene-stealing Alaskan husky who is trained for competitions, is a heartwarming story about healing, forgiveness and becoming a better person.

Grabow proves to be expert at manipulating emotions through cinema. Not a bad feat for a finance major.

“Knowing about finance certainly comes in handy in the world of the arts,” Grabow said.

Business was Grabow’s initial pursuit. He started his own company, Intrepid Sportswear, out of his Gonzaga dorm room in 2003. Intrepid Sportswear, which supplies sports uniforms, is flourishing.

“I give Gonzaga credit for supporting my entrepreneurial concept,” Grabow said. “It was local at first and then grew to the Pacific Northwest and it’s been national for years.”

However, there was a void Grabow was compelled to fill even while focusing on his business. Grabow signed up for some acting classes when his company was based in Seattle in 2013.

“There was something missing,” Grabow said. “I really enjoyed learning about acting. But I needed more.”

Grabow moved to New York to attend Pace University and its Actor’s Studio Drama School.

The founder and president of Intrepid Sportswear decided to make his first feature film in 2018. “I took my life savings to make my dream a reality,” Grabow said. “But that’s what you do when you’re passionate about something.”

Grabow’s vision will reach the screen for its Spokane debut Friday at the Village Centre Cinemas Wandermere.

“It’s significant to me since Spokane was the first place I called home for years,” Grabow said. “I started my company there and it’s the first city I felt comfortable in. I look forward not to just the film being screened in Spokane but I look forward most to seeing my friends and those in Gonzaga’s Alumni Chapter.

It’s no coincidence that the film’s team includes five fellow Gonzaga alumni. “How could I not tap into my friends, who are fellow alums,” Grabow said.

Grabow, who also has a short film, “Method,” released in 2019, hopes to make more films. “I would like to,” Grabow said. “I had such an amazing experience with ‘Year of the Dog.’ ”

“Year of the Dog” will hopefully make an impact since it is a reminder that not everything should be nixed in this era of cancel culture. America has always been about redemption and is a central theme that runs through “Year of the Dog.”

The scene between the protagonist, Matt, and his dying father sets the tone. “We don’t leave things broken,” the man living on borrowed time tells his son, who is struggling in many ways.

“Redemption is super important in the film and in our lives,” Grabow said. “Matt is trying to cancel the world and the world is trying to cancel him. But his sponsors continue to engage him. Not everyone should be canceled.”

Not everyone should stay in their lane, which has become convention in this increasingly specialized world. “Human beings are born intrinsically special,” Grabow said. “We’re all gifted with more than one thing. We can be an artist or not an artist. I hope people see what I’ve done and realize that we actually have different skill sets. Maybe someone who works in the business world can be an artist. So much is possible. That goes for people struggling with addiction and those who would like to do something more than what they do every day at work.”

Grabow will attend the 6:45 screening and will follow with a Q&A.