Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Hundstage" or "Dog Days" is an award-winning Austrian 2-hour film from 15 years ago written and directed by Ulrich Seidl. And while I did not think this was a bad movie, I must say that I prefer his more recent works, especially his "Paradise" trilogy which is quite a thing of beauty. Seidl's approach, however, is certainly visible in here too. His films always have a dark and slightly depressing take on love and especially sexuality. You should also not be surprised to see graphic nudity in here, but I think it was working in the context as it simply belonged to the story. It is basically the "Paradise" trilogy packed in one movie as we follow the fates and sexual identities of a whole bunch of people that have very loose connections to each other. Nonetheless I have to say that I was not too well entertained while watching this film. It could have been shorter I think and still would not have lost and of its substantial message, but this way it felt a bit overblown. And occasionally I also felt that the stories were just written in a way to be as controversial as possible and not really as means of telling a great movie. The actors still do a good job, especially Maria Hofstätter once again. Finally, even German speakers may have problems with the thick Austrian accents in here, even if I found most of it was not too difficult to understand. So just in case make sure you have subtitles. Overall, I was slightly underwhelmed by this film. Seidl has done better on several occasions.

M A The problem I find with this title is that I am not sure if the director is trying to produce a documentary or movie. A blend of the two genres just doesn't work and that leaves the whole thing hung in the middle of nowhere. This is more so as the director has picked the most extremes of what is supposed to be happening around our everyday life making it an unconvincing documentary. If it is meant to be a thriller/drama this is too dull and monotonous. In either case, what is the moral or the message which the director is trying to convey to the audience? That around us there are people who ill-treat others who are willing to be ill-treated? That there are many crazy lunatics around us? So..........so what?

borkoboardo Being an Austrian myself this has been a straight knock in my face. This movie tells a story about how misled people who suffer from lack of education or bad company try to survive and live in a world of redundancy and boring horizons. A girl who is treated like a whore by her super-jealous boyfriend (and still keeps coming back), a female teacher who discovers her masochism by putting the life of her super-cruel "lover" on the line, an old couple who has an almost mathematical daily cycle (she is the "official replacement" of his ex wife), a couple that has just divorced and has the ex husband suffer under the acts of his former wife obviously having a relationship with her masseuse and finally a crazy hitchhiker who asks her drivers the most unusual questions and stretches their nerves by just being super-annoying.After having seen it you feel almost nothing. You're not even shocked, sad, depressed or feel like doing anything... Maybe that's why I gave it 7 points, it made me react in a way I never reacted before. If that's good or bad is up to you!

wombat_1 What an appalling piece of rubbish!!! Who ARE all these people who blubber on about how good this is? Yes, it's "arty"; and yes, it's "foreign", but .... that's not enough. The plot is boring and disjointed, like a reality show but not so slickly made.The people are intrinsically uninteresting; but as characters they don't have enough depth to feel empathy for them. If they are based on real people then I feel very, very sorry for them.The violence (and some of it is very violent) seems quite ostentatious and gratuitous. It's like the producer has visions of being Quenton Tarantino. Not that I think very much of him, either.And oh yes: if I had neighbours like these, I'd move!