{"id":5195,"date":"2014-11-07T05:35:09","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T04:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=5195"},"modified":"2015-02-28T00:54:43","modified_gmt":"2015-02-27T23:54:43","slug":"when-animals-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/11\/07\/when-animals-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"When Animals Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"When<\/a>
When Animals Dream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 3 April 2015

\nDistributor:<\/B> Altitude Film Distribution

\nDirector:<\/B> Jonas Alexander Arnby

\nWriter:<\/B> Rasmus Birch

\nCast:<\/B> Sonia Suhl, Lars Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Når dyrene drømmer<\/i>

\nDenmark 2014

\n84 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Danish teenage lycanthropic affair, When Animals Dream<\/i> concerns the pubescent awakening of Marie (Sonia Suhl), a girl growing up in a tiny coastal village, where everybody is in each other\u2019s pocket and the single onshore industry involves the gutting of fish. On top of the usual libidinal stirrings and physical developments Marie has more singular problems to deal with: there\u2019s the growing realisation that her domestic situation is far from normal. Why is the local doctor suddenly scheduling monthly appointments? Exactly what is the condition that has left her mother heavily sedated and wheelchair-bound? Clearly there is something her father (Lars Mikkelsen) isn\u2019t telling her, and it seems to have the locals spooked.<\/p>\n

Whilst swimming the same waters as the likes of Ginger Snaps<\/i><\/a> or Teeth<\/i>, this is a much more Scandinavian affair. It\u2019s a slow burner with sparse dialogue and a distinctive gloomy look, all lowering skies and creamy yellowing light. Performances are subdued and naturalistic, and there\u2019s none of the flip snarkiness that\u2019s become de rigueur<\/i> with US productions. Instead we have something a bit more generous, humanistic and affecting. The adolescent agony is conveyed effectively, and there\u2019s a very real sense of small town oppression, with a terrific scene where a traditional first day at work humiliation ritual bubbles with understated hostility. And whilst the messy transformative business isn\u2019t exactly box fresh, the film hangs on an interesting question: what do you do with a problem like Marie? Whilst the film is largely seen from her point of view, and Suhl\u2019s delicate, defiant performance ensures that we are on her side, Rasmus Birch\u2019s screenplay does not sideline or downplay the villagers\u2019 understandable concerns. The tale could be a metaphor for every outsider status from homosexuality to mental illness, but this<\/i> metaphor means that there\u2019s a heavy price to pay when, if you\u2019ll forgive me, things get hairy every month. No wonder her dad looks so tortured, he\u2019s paralysed by love and fear.<\/p>\n

Though this is Marie\u2019s film, and is built around her path from awkward confusion to outright rebellion, I can\u2019t help noticing that the last act, like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night<\/i><\/a> and Spring<\/i><\/a>, centres around a would-be boyfriend\u2019s acceptance that his lover is prone to ripping the occasional throat out. There seems to be something in the air, and whilst it might not mean much (other than Let the Right One In<\/i><\/a> casting a long shadow), in this case it takes Marie\u2019s story away from her and gives it to someone else. In all three films you know which way the finale is going to go, and wonder how the toothier direction might have played. Although it could have benefited from a rise in heat towards the end and it is probably a little too understated for some genre fans, it is nevertheless classy, smart stuff, and a promising debut from director Jonas Alexander Arnby.<\/p>\n

Mark Stafford<\/B><\/I> <\/p>\n

This review is part of our LFF 2014 coverage<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Watch the trailer:<\/b><\/p>\n