When Animals Dream

"When Animals Dream" is a pseudo Werewolf movie. The main character, Marie (Sonia Suhl) goes through some slow yet perturbing bodily changes and she doesn't know why. Her father wants to medicate her to prevent the inevitable but she'll have nothing of it.

This film starts of slow in a good way. It takes time to set the mood and introduce the setting and the characters. The problem is that it continued to be slow even after we were aware of the direction of the movie.

Although billed as a horror it was far more drama. They tried to make it too poetic; establishing mood with very little dialog and plenty of music, non-verbal communication and imagery. It maintained a somber mood much of the movie with only small glimpses of action.

What was clear was that Marie was the victim in this and the townsfolk were the ill-intentioned oppressors. That's how they painted it but that's not how I viewed it.

Marie is a small, docile, nubile young woman that still lives at home. She just wants to lead a normal life. Whatever happened to her, whatever she did as a result can hardly be blamed on her. Except that the world doesn't operate like that. People like safety and security even if from those without a heart to do wrong. Even though Marie was painted as and represented the underdog, she was nothing but.

Marie is sixteen and lives in a coastal town with nowt to do, no friends and a mother with a mysterious debilitating illness. The local doctor seems to take a lot of interest in Marie's condition especially when she starts to grow thick body hair and she would like to know why.

Now she gets a job at the local fish factory, where she is not exactly made to feel welcome. She makes a connection with Daniel, a kindly soul who is also a good looking man whom she takes a shine too. The thing is she starts to feel that she has not been told everything about her 'illness' and soon she will find out the hard way.

Now this is a slow burner but one that is fairly intense at the same time. There are some sterling performances especially from Lars Mikkelsen – brother of Mads but everyone is actually good even Gustav Dyekjær Giese who has a small role playing a nasty type here and was in the rather good 'Northwest'. It is short at 81 minutes and that includes the run off credits, but it does not do much wasting of screen time and is better for it. For lovers of 'horror' this may be lacking as it is a coming of age tale and a relationship story as much as the horror part and that makes it a more rounded film – recommended.

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!

If you appreciate the visual, pure beauty of it - this one is for You.

The story itself is OK, nothing spectacular (better told in 'The Uninvited' (2009),) developing through beautiful scenery while depicting character's actions the most, the story doesn't relay on the conversation - it's the weak point and the strong one, depends how you look at it... I love it for what it is - a piece of art, trying to tell the story within, with more or less success. Still way better than most of the movies today ;) Just go with the flow and enjoy, don't expect any revelations, that's not what this movie is about.

It is so easy to talk about all the bad and disregard the good, as it is in life. I guess, it comes down to what kind of person you are. I assure you - this movie still has a lot of great things to offer, as long as you don't expect to see what it is not there to begin with. Not many movies are that way, these days. It all comes down to a personal level of finding and appreciating the beauty presented, in front of you. Not about your expectations, the whole story you wanna see in each and every detail. Just get over it and enjoy it for what it is, cause it's pretty great ;)

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.