A movie about people who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, including their beloved dogs, doesn’t sound very uplifting. Nor does the idea that thousands of these people spent months — or even years — trying to find their dogs after the disaster, sometimes becoming embroiled in heart-wrenching canine custody battles with their dogs’ new owners.

It would seem that he only way for a dog-lover to get through such a film is with an extra large Prozac popcorn and a Zoloft-laced Pepsi, right?

In some directors’ hands, yes. But in Geralyn’s Pezanoski’s brilliant, sensitive and most capable vision for her first feature-length film, MINE, the combination leads to an enlightening, and (eventually) uplifting documentary that’s more riveting than many fiction films out there.

MINE, which premieres today in San Francisco and on iTunes, is an absorbing look at several people who, for various reasons, couldn’t take their dogs with them when they had to evacuate their homes. The film focuses on their attempts to be reunited with their pets despite tremendous obstacles, including time, and sometimes classism and racism.

Some succeed. Some don’t, and your heart utterly weeps for them — especially one man who has a particularly deep bond with his dog. (I want to go out and find his dog myself!) All of their stories will keep you at the edge of your seat.

If you have a tender heart, you’ll need to have some tissues tucked into your pockets. But even the most sensitive viewers will likely find themselves feeling good about the film’s kind souls and the happy endings. If only there were more…

Take a peek at the trailer, below, to gauge how many hankies you might want to pack along.