DOG DAYS is a scathing satire, exposing the ugly underbelly of contemporary suburban mores. It is the first dramatic feature of notorious documentarian Ulrich Seidl (ANIMAL LOVE). With a keen visual sense and lacerating wit, Seidl weaves together the sordid tales of a large group of people in suburban Austria during a heat wave. There’s the Greek divorced couple who continue to live together, miserable and haunted by the memory of their young daughter’s death. There’s the alarm system salesman who has to find a scapegoat when the cars in a housing complex that he has serviced are vandalized. There’s the desperate older woman whose sadistic boyfriend brings a friend along to watch him humiliate her. There’s the elderly control freak who weighs every item he’s bought at the supermarket when he gets home. Tying them all together is Anna (Maria Hofstatter), who hitches rides to nowhere, verbally assaulting those who pick her up with a constant barrage of inane top ten lists, advertising jingles, and embarrassing personal questions. Seidl gets solid performances from his cast, many of whom are not professional actors. For those who can stomach it, he offers a compelling glimpse of hell on earth.
This film was included in the 31st New Directors/New Films 2002 series presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Department of Film and Media of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
