A teenage girl is being examined by a physician. He seems to be looking for something specific--we learn not what. The girl, Marie, is concerned about a rash on her chest. Marie and the father take care of the disabled, wheelchair-bound mother/wife.
Then Marie gets a job at a fish processing plant. There she is hazed and eventually bullied by some guys. She also meets a guy whom she likes and who likes her. They go out a couple of times.
The good doctor also treats Marie's mom and one day Marie steals a file from him where she discovers some notes and the picture of an old shipwreck. She learns that it belonged to some Russians but that her mother dispatched them. There she gets intimate with her friend.
When the father decides to have Marie medicated--her rash is getting worse--Marie cries for her mother's help when suddenly something appears and kills the doctor. The towns' leaders appear and have a chat with the family. Eventually, the mother dies, Marie's condition worsens, and she takes several important decisions for her life. But the town, too, takes a decision in regard to her.
It's hard not to talk about this movie without revealing what is going on. The movie itself is undecided whether it wants the werewolf angle to be a surprise or not. The pace is exceedingly slow. Even though the family is undergoing a serious crisis, the family members have very little to say to each other. The dad tries to keep the family together but presumably is trying to conceal the condition to the daughter who is the one undergoing it. The daughter is obviously aware what's going on. What should be dramatically powerful isn't presented that way at all. It is interesting that this movie presents human disability as the flipside of superhuman powers. Also interesting is the deal the town has with the family. Everyone knows what they are, supposedly they fear them, but not enough not to provoke the daughter.
When Animals Dream is one Euro-pompous title for a movie that offers very little. It tries to be a horror-drama with little horror and little drama. In the absence of a basic attempt to entertain the audience, this movie could have tried to make a point--it doesn't. It could have gone an artsy route, but it doesn't do that either. At the very least it could have shows us some sights or ways of Denmark, but it doesn't bother. I can't think of many reasons to recommend this movie. It reminds me of those lackluster European made-for-TV movies with overly-modest ambitions.
Then Marie gets a job at a fish processing plant. There she is hazed and eventually bullied by some guys. She also meets a guy whom she likes and who likes her. They go out a couple of times.
The good doctor also treats Marie's mom and one day Marie steals a file from him where she discovers some notes and the picture of an old shipwreck. She learns that it belonged to some Russians but that her mother dispatched them. There she gets intimate with her friend.
When the father decides to have Marie medicated--her rash is getting worse--Marie cries for her mother's help when suddenly something appears and kills the doctor. The towns' leaders appear and have a chat with the family. Eventually, the mother dies, Marie's condition worsens, and she takes several important decisions for her life. But the town, too, takes a decision in regard to her.
It's hard not to talk about this movie without revealing what is going on. The movie itself is undecided whether it wants the werewolf angle to be a surprise or not. The pace is exceedingly slow. Even though the family is undergoing a serious crisis, the family members have very little to say to each other. The dad tries to keep the family together but presumably is trying to conceal the condition to the daughter who is the one undergoing it. The daughter is obviously aware what's going on. What should be dramatically powerful isn't presented that way at all. It is interesting that this movie presents human disability as the flipside of superhuman powers. Also interesting is the deal the town has with the family. Everyone knows what they are, supposedly they fear them, but not enough not to provoke the daughter.
When Animals Dream is one Euro-pompous title for a movie that offers very little. It tries to be a horror-drama with little horror and little drama. In the absence of a basic attempt to entertain the audience, this movie could have tried to make a point--it doesn't. It could have gone an artsy route, but it doesn't do that either. At the very least it could have shows us some sights or ways of Denmark, but it doesn't bother. I can't think of many reasons to recommend this movie. It reminds me of those lackluster European made-for-TV movies with overly-modest ambitions.