When Animals Dream

So, last night I just finished watching Spring. Wow does these 2 resemble a lot! Sadly, in a bad way...

Let's see: both of them involve a woman, going through changes, becoming something different, a monster if you like. Any originality here? Of course not, just making the most of a indeed small budget, but it will easily go unnoticed, cause let's face it, this is not what anyone is looking for when searching for a horror. It is another dull ride, maybe a tad bit better than Spring indeed, nevertheless, dull, heading to a romantic ending and that's that.

I won't recommend it "When animals dream", but if you're searching for something familiar, a movie about an isolated place, you could put an eye on "The dark" or ""Dorothy Mills". Both of them, far better!

Cheers!

Wow. What a pleasant surprise. Carefully-paced, artfully composed with some beautiful cinematography and direction, and some strong acting. The fact that it's the director's feature film debut is highly impressive, and it actually reminds me of Let The Right One In in some aspects. It's definitely a horror film, but definitely a coming-of-age drama in other ways. Definitely recommend this little gem, and further proof that 2014 was actually a good year for horror (among others like Under The Skin, Coherence, The Babadook, Honeymoon). I hope people try to seek this one out because it's definitely worth the time to, especially among sure dire horrors these days.

When Animals Dream has a lot of similarities with the Swedish masterpiece Let The Right One In. While one movie deals with Vampires and the other with Werewolves, both share a brilliant atmosphere along with sympathetic situations. When Animals Dream isn't so much about Werewolves as such, but about a family struggling to cope with hereditary illness. The power of a young female caring for her ill mother and depressed father. The whole situation is hopeless and portrays a very depressing story, but strangely at the same time, a story of beauty. The story is simplistic, but its the rich flavour that keeps the movie afloat. While Let The Right One In is a better film, When Animals Dream is yet another very memorable Scandinavian horror/drama. Highly recommended!

A teenage girl whose mother suffers from some mysterious debilitating illness notices strange changes in her body while also suffering continued harassment at her new job at a fish processing facility and has her first experience with love. Little does she know what her bodily changes will lead to....

I recently also saw the Norwegian VIKING WOLF (2022), and can't help contrasting these two Scandinavian entries into the werewolf oeuvre. Whereas VIKING WOLF is a conventional horror film in the manner of Hollywood horror (somehow the Norwegians seem to be consistently great at emulating Hollywood), WHEN ANIMALS DREAM is much less conventional, not just with respect to the basic story but also in how it is filmed and even how it changes some of the rules of werewolf lore (for example, there is no temporary full moon transformation, talk of silver bullets or rabid blind lust for killing).

I ended up rating both movies the same, just short of good, but for very different reasons. While VIKING WOLF is quite entertaining, during the last 15 minutes or so it suddenly changes gears and begins to unnecessarily pile one implausibility after another, to such an extent that I wonder whether that part of the screenplay was written by somebody other than the person who wrote the earlier parts. WHEN ANIMALS DREAM, in contrast, stays consistent, though it is so understated that this takes a bite out of its entertainment value. Fans of more conventional horror fare will likely find this film too boring, and even the climax in which multiple people are dispatched has trouble generating excitement. I guess people who like introspective, quiet movies may be the most likely audience for this film.

It's not as exploitative as some may think (especially considering the English title), but more Art-house. So while this is a different beast (no pun intended) than "Let the right one in" (your dreams?), this still has a similar feeling to it. Not to mention a female character in the center of it. A really good movie (coming of age and other things that is) if you like your drama spiced.

Acting wise this is great and it may need some time to get rolling, but when it does there seems to be no stopping. Many people can also identify with the main actress/character, the way she feels and is being treated. There is more than a connection (though it does stop there of course ... hopefully) and that is being exploited, if anything.