When Animals Dream (originally titled as Når dyrene drømmer) is a 2014 Danish horror drama film, and the feature film directorial debut of Jonas Alexander Arnby.[2] The film had its world premiere on 19 May 2014 at the Cannes Film Festival and stars Sonia Suhl as a teenager that discovers that she is transforming into a werewolf.[3][4]
| When Animals Dream | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster showing its Danish title | |
| Directed by | Jonas Alexander Arnby |
| Written by | Rasmus Birch |
| Produced by | Ditte Milsted Caroline Bingestam |
| Starring | Lars Mikkelsen Jakob Oftebro Sonja Richter |
| Cinematography | Niels Thastum |
| Edited by | Peter Brandt |
| Music by | Mikkel Hess |
Production company | AlphaVille Pictures Copenhagen |
| Distributed by | Nordisk Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Denmark |
| Language | Danish |
| Budget | € 4 million[1] |
Plot
editMarie (Sonia Suhl) is a shy sixteen-year-old growing up in a remote fishing village in Denmark where she lives with her father Thor (Lars Mikkelsen) and mother (Sonja Richter), who is catatonic and confined to a wheelchair. She's bothered by a strange rash that develops on her chest, only to become more unnerved when she begins to sprout hair. During this time Marie begins working at a fish processing plant where her coworkers bully her under the false premise that it is hazing and not intended to be malicious. As Marie's body undergoes more changes, she begins to realize that her family has been hiding strange secrets and that her mother's current condition may relate to what Marie is currently going through.
Cast
edit- Sonia Suhl as Marie
- Lars Mikkelsen as Thor
- Jakob Oftebro as Daniel
- Sonja Richter as Mother
- Mads Riisom as Felix
- Benjamin Boe Rasmussen as Ib
- Esben Dalgaard as Bjarne
Reception
editCritical reception for When Animals Dream has been generally positive.[5] It has a score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes[6] and of 54% on Metacritic.[7] Shock Till You Drop compared the film favorably with the similarly themed films Let the Right One In and Ginger Snaps and commented that it was "a movie that lurks quietly in the shadows, stalking you until its ready to pounce and show you what big, sharp teeth it has".[8] The Hollywood Reporter and Twitch Film also praised the movie,[9] and Twitch Film wrote that it was "a tremendous feature debut, haunting and elegiac, while not shying away from violence and sex. There is certainly no subtlety to the film; but then again, werewolves aren't meant to be subtle."[10]
References
edit- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 February 2014). "Berlin: Radius-TWC Wrestles Danish Werewolf Tale 'When Animals Dream'". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "[AFM '13] New Look At 'Let the Right One In' Inspired 'When Animals Dream'". Bloody Disgusting. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (9 February 2014). "Berlin: Radius-TWC Snags Coming Of Age Werewolf Import 'When Animals Dream'". Deadline. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (6 June 2015). "Film Review: 'When Animals Dream'". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ^ Hunter, Alan. "When Animals Dream (review)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "Når dyrene drømmer (When Animals Dream) (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "When Animals Dream". Metacritic.
- ^ Turek, Ryan. "Fantasia Review: Monstrous Teen Angst is Done Right in When Animals Dream". STYD. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (19 May 2014). "'When Animals Dream' ('Nar dyrene drommer'): Cannes Review". THR. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ Rowan-Legg, Shelagh M. "Cannes 2014 Review: WHEN ANIMALS DREAM, Stark And Haunting Arthouse Horror". Twitch Film. Retrieved 8 August 2014.