Dog Days (2001)

In the tomb-like quiet of their ranch-style purgatory, a divorced husband and wife fight a wordless war while mourning an unspeakable mutual loss. A sadistic lover's ritual humiliation spawns both tenderness and revenge.

Director:

Ulrich Seidl

Writers:

Veronika Franz, Ulrich Seidl

Stars:

Maria Hofstätter, Christine Jirku, Viktor Hennemann

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Hofstätter	...	Die Autostopperin
Alfred Mrva	...	Der Mann für die Sicherheit
Erich Finsches	...	Der alte Mann
Gerti Lehner	...	Die Haushälterin
Franziska Weisz	...	Das junge Mädchen (as Franziska Weiß)
Rene Wanko	...	Der Freund
Claudia Martini	...	Die Ex-Ehefrau
Victor Rathbone	...	Der Ex-Ehemann
Christian Bakonyi	...	Der Masseur
Christine Jirku	...	Die Lehrerin
Viktor Hennemann	...	Der Liebhaber
Georg Friedrich	...	Der Freund des Liebhabers
Ingeborg Wehofer	...	Car accident victim
Leopold Schlol	...	Car scratch victim
Silvia Piglmann	...	Car scratch victim

Storyline

In a suburb of Vienna during some hot summer days: A teacher who is in bondage to a sleazy pimp, a very importunate hitchhiker, a private detective on the run for some car vandals, a couple with a serious marriage problem and an old man, whose wife died long before on the search for some sexual entertainment live their lives while their lifelines cross from time to time.

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Plot Keywords:

pubic hair | explicit sex | jerking off | erect penis | explicit fellatio | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some disturbing behavior/violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second in the poll for FIPRESCI GRAND PRIX OF THE YEAR 2002.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie in front of the supermarket the boom mic and the camera are reflected in a car window.

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Connections

Follows Fun Without Limits (1998)

User Reviews

Hard to Stomach but Well-Made and Poignant

It's nothing brilliant, groundbreaking or innovative, but 'Dog Days' is for some reason an extremely fascinating character study. It's like CRASH tripping on a bad dose of heroin, but not really. It's an Austrian film following the lives of several depressed, deranged and annoying people and their abusive relationships with each other. It's disturbing, yet very well-acted and it's interesting to watch the crazy little things these characters do. Certainly not for the weak-hearted, this highly pessimistic film offers no conclusion or revelation at the end, we just see the lives of these sordid individuals over the course of two days. Grade: B

Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German

Release Date:

9 November 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Dog Days

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,267, 24 August 2003

Gross USA:

$13,031

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$545,117

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allegro Film, Essential Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1