The Horror Show
When Animals Dream
by Jonas Alexander Arnby
I remember going on a rant recently about how no one makes werewolf films anymore, and since then I think I’ve seen a few appear over the past few months. The one I decided to check out is the Danish film, When Animals Dream. It takes a less in your face approach to werewolves, it’s not about surviving the night. It’s more about what someone would do to protect a loved one who is a werewolf. It’s definitely different.
Marie goes to see a doctor about a series of rashes that have begun developing. The doctor checks them out and asks if she’s been exhibiting any other symptoms. He looks at her nails and teeth and makes an appointment to see her again in a month. At home, her mother is wheelchair bound and in a comatose state. Marie has also recently begun working at her new job gutting fish. Everyone at the job seems to be excessively mean to her, claiming it to be nothing more than hazing. The only exception being Felix, her trainer, and Daniel, her blossoming love interest. Although her body begins to change more and she starts growing fur on her body, she somehow manages to link it to her mother’s condition. She refuses to take the drugs to suppress her condition so she doesn’t end up like her mother. However, when being forced against her will to take the drugs, Marie’s mother defends her daughter and kills the doctor. The town suspects that Marie’s mother is behind his disappearance. They also have their eyes on Marie now, fearing that her mother’s illness has been passed on.
This movie is definitely a slow burn. I honestly forgot that this was supposed to be a horror movie at a certain point. It kind of felt like a coming-of-age tale. However, as fear begins to grow in the town and the pranks against Marie become more violent, it takes on more of a thriller vibe. It also has a bit of a mystery feel. The movie doesn’t spell out that Marie is a werewolf, but gives small bits of evidence that the viewer is supposed to piece together. I didn’t even know that this was a werewolf movie going in to it.
I like that the film takes a fresh start to werewolves, avoiding the whole magical transformation thing. Turning into a werewolf isn’t something that happens on the full moon, it’s slow and gradual. The transformation happens over the course of a few weeks, and it’s also very brutal and painful. The finger tips begin to swell, turn red, and bleed as the nails start to rapidly grow. That part actually kind of made me a bit sick. I loved it.
I also like that the movie never fully explains the origin of the werewolf. All we know is that it involves a boat, Russians, and Marie’s mom. All we hear is that they did something to Marie’s mom before she killed them. We can assume that whatever they did turned Marie’s mom into a werewolf and it was passed on to Marie. By pulling the focus away from the why, it allows the viewer to dedicate their entire focus to the story.
There was one bit of the movie that got weird, like really weird. So Marie is prancing around at her mother’s funeral with her bloody hands, she’s letting everyone know that’s she not hiding. Her father takes her home, angry and fearful of his daughter’s safety. They’re at dinner, and she’s not eating, she’s just drinking from her glass of water. Even when it’s empty, she continues to drink, and then she shatters the glass by biting into it, proceeding to chew on the broken glass as blood starts spilling from her mouth. The entire time her father is screaming at her to stop. I honestly can’t think of what the director was thinking by incorporating this scene as it contributes nothing to the story and the incident is never mentioned again after that. They just ignore it. I feel like the director just added it in to see if people were paying attention. It could have been a dream sequence but it didn’t quite seem like it.
Warning, spoilers ahead!. I just want to talk about the ending quickly. Marie is captured by the town and held captive on a fishing boat. They plan on tying her up and throwing her overboard but Daniel sneaks aboard and sets Marie free. She manages to kill everyone aboard except Daniel. He begins to comfort a bloody Marie but still looks slightly shaken. I believe that this reflects the relationship between Marie’s father and mother. He took care of his wife even after she murdered several people because he loved her. However, his fear began to grow over time and eventually he chose to medicate her, rendering her comatose. I believe that this foreshadows the future of Marie and Daniel’s relationship. I think it’s quite clever, letting the viewer use the past to determine the future like that.
I can say that I really enjoyed When Animals Dream. I think that the film is really clever and subtle. It’s also Danish, and I like watching foreign films because I can’t tell if the acting is bad or not. The movie is also visually composed quite exceptionally. I could pause the movie at any moment and see a fantastic shot. The movie is incredibly immersive and I can say that it entertained me the whole time. Despite being a bit slow, no part of the movie ever feels painful to watch. That is attributed to excellent pacing. When Animals Dream is a must watch. Just be prepared, this isn’t a high action film like most werewolves films are today
Billy Wayne Martin, HMS
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