Larry, an eccentric amateur taxidermist, works for Animal Services picking up road kill along the highway. Socially isolated, he's retreated into an emotional state where his only companions are the animals he's stuffed.
For Larry, this is a way to gain some control over a world that never paid any attention to him. When he comes home after work, his animals are waiting for him. One night at work, Larry spots a dog, seemingly dead, just off the shoulder of a quiet strip of road. Not having a stuffed dog in his collection, he takes it home with him where he makes the shocking discovery that the dog is still alive. Its nametag reads Sammy.
As they bond, Larry sees his stuffed animals for what they are: lifeless. Sammy's arrival marks the beginning of a new relationship for Larry, and the taxidermist realizes he needs to preserve the life of this particular animal before it's dead, rather than after.
TIFF 2010: Get A Taste Of Kire Paputts' ANIMAL CONTROL
Dark, unsettling and atmospheric - all words brought to mind by the trailer for Kire Paputts' short film Animal Control. Due to screen in the short film program at the Toronto International Film Festival, perhaps the official synopsis does a better job of selling this one than I could: