...style and competence can't always compensate for a pedestrian script. Case in point, "When Animals Dream," a tyro effort from Denmark that apparently drew a fair amount of attention, although you'd be hard-pressed to tell that from the scant IMDb audience it's garnered. I'm not overly surprised. It's a somewhat mundane tale of adolescent lycanthropy oddly set in a small Danish fishing community; in this iteration the affliction is apparently genetic rather than anything supernatural. Like mother, like daughter, with dad the dedicated if somewhat taciturn caretaker. Well, kinda, since he ends up standing aside when his maturing offspring finally bolts the homestead, offering only a hearty "Don't take any crap!" as parental advice. The film's shot nicely, edited well, scored appropriately, acted decently, and even directed with some careful finesse. The problem is, as per usual, the script. It's sparse, in fact downright laconic, making it a chore to relate to its protagonist in any significant way. Characters do things without any apparent rationale; a great deal of whatever passes for back story is never explained. It makes for a frustrating viewing experience. Glad I caught it for free.
Review of When Animals Dream
