Hachi: A Dog's Tale
2009 · 93 min · Director: Lasse Hallström
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Commuting by train, music professor Parker Wilson finds an Akita puppy, whose cage broke unnoticed during shipping, leaving his destination unknown, and since the station can't care for it and the dog catcher warns even such cute ones may not be adopted in the two weeks allowed, he kindly takes it home. His bossy, jealous wife Cate initially makes Parker swear it won't stay, but by the time its' clear nobody will claim him and an adoption candidate is found, she agrees to keep the dog, who won over their daughter Andy and her fiance Michael at first sight. Parker's Japanese college friend Ken inspires naming the pup Hachi(ko), and is pleasantly surprised when Parker successfully tackles the challenge to get it to fetch, which Akitas don't usually do. Hachi makes a habit of waiting for his equally doting master at the station every evening, but after a cardiac crisis, Parker dies. Hachi refuses to accept this, being moved to Michael's home as Cate moves out, waiting for a master who can never come home again, by now collectively adopted by sympathizing town-folk. The story is told in flashbacks as class assignment 'my hero' by Michael's teen son Robbie, who also gets an Akita puppy.
Emotional fingerprint
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 35%, Empathy 25%, Love 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Love. Genres: Drama, Family, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Love. Its IMDb rating of 8.1/10 suggests a strong audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 75/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Love
- Sympathy
- Sadness
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Nostalgia
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Sympathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Love | Sympathy | Sadness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Nostalgia | 32 % | 23 % | 23 % | 8 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Love | 35 % | 30 % | 24 % | 9 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Love | 38 % | 34 % | 25 % | 10 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Humor | 36 % | 31 % | 23 % | 8 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Love | 37 % | 34 % | 20 % | 5 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Love | 41 % | 38 % | 19 % | 4 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Love | 41 % | 38 % | 18 % | 4 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 35′ | Love | 41 % | 40 % | 16 % | 5 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Love | 46 % | 44 % | 13 % | 3 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 44′ | Humor | 55 % | 50 % | 10 % | 1 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Love | 59 % | 55 % | 10 % | 3 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Love | 60 % | 45 % | 23 % | 18 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Sadness | 70 % | 34 % | 51 % | 53 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Sadness | 76 % | 36 % | 70 % | 73 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Sympathy | 71 % | 44 % | 70 % | 66 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 72′ | Sympathy | 65 % | 50 % | 65 % | 55 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 77′ | Sympathy | 69 % | 55 % | 68 % | 58 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 81′ | Sadness | 80 % | 63 % | 71 % | 69 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 86′ | Love | 83 % | 68 % | 65 % | 68 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 91′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Hachi: A Dog's Tale. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Michael
Ronnie (11 years)
Teddy Barnes
Heather
Myra
Milton - The Butcher
Sal
Student Pianist
Evan Lock
Miss Latham
Student
Commuter
Details
- Directed by
- Lasse Hallström
- Written by
- Kaneto Shindô, Stephen P. Lindsey
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2009
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Rent
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