{{short description|2001 film by Ulrich Seidl}} {{For|the 1944 film|Dog Days (1944 film)}} {{use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox film | name = Dog Days | image = File:Dog_Days_poster.png | caption = Poster | director = Ulrich Seidl | producer = Philippe Bober<br>Helmut Grasser | writer = Ulrich Seidl<br>Veronika Franz | starring = | music = | cinematography = Wolfgang Thaler<br>Helmut Grasser | editing = Christof Schertenleib<br>Andrea Wagner | distributor = | released = {{Film date|2001|09|3|Venice Film Festival|df=yes}} | runtime = 121 minutes | country = Austria | language = German | budget = }} '''''Dog Days''''' ({{langx|de|Hundstage}}) is a 2001 Austrian feature film directed by Ulrich Seidl. The film stars a mix of professional and amateur actors and follows six interwoven stories set in suburban Vienna over the course of some unseasonably hot summer days. The film premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival where it went on to win the Grand Special Jury Prize and also won awards at the International Film Festival Bratislava and the Gijón International Film Festival.
==Plot== The film is set in Vienna during a week of unseasonably hot summer weather and has six interconnected narrative streams. An alarm systems engineer attempts to capture someone damaging cars, an old man interacts with various people including his housekeeper, a young man treats his girlfriend badly, a teacher has a date with her lover which goes wrong, a divorced couple are dealing with the death of their child and a mentally disturbed hitchhiker asks her drivers rude questions.
==Cast== * The hitchhiker – Maria Hofstätter * The old man – Erich Finsches * The old man's housekeeper – Gerti Lehner * The young woman – Franziska Weisz * The young woman's boyfriend – Rene Wanko * The ex-husband – Victor Rathbone * The ex-wife – {{ill|Claudia Martini|de}} * The teacher – Christine Jirku * The lover – Viktor Hennemann * The lover's friend — Georg Friedrich * The masseur — Christian Bakonyi * The alarm systems engineer – Alfred Mrva
==Production==
Ulrich Seidl made the film over three years, recruiting most of the cast as non-professional actors. Alfred Mrva plays the role of an alarm systems engineer whilst being an alarm systems engineer in real life and Viktor Hennemann who plays a lover in the film runs a swingers club.<ref name="Bradshaw">{{cite news |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Peter |title=Dog Days review – fly-on-the-wall depiction of a horrible personal hell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/nov/17/londonfilmfestival2001.londonfilmfestival |access-date=9 November 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=17 November 2001 |language=en}}</ref>
==Critical response== ''The Guardian'' review gave the film three stars out of five and called it a "disturbing vision of Viennese suburbanites suffocating in sweltering heat".<ref name="Bradshaw" /> The BBC reviewer discussed the torture scene and declared "Seidl himself relishes portraying this unpleasantness",<ref name="Dawson">{{cite news |last1=Dawson |first1=Tom |title=BBC – Films – review – Dog Days (Hundstage) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/08/23/dog_days_2002_review.shtml |access-date=9 November 2021 |work=BBC |date=2002}}</ref> whilst Screen Daily stated "''Dog Days'' announces the arrival of a visionary, uncompromising director".<ref name="Levy">{{cite news |last1=Levy |first1=Emanuel |title=Dog Days (Hundstage) |url=https://www.screendaily.com/dog-days-hundstage/407036.article |access-date=9 November 2021 |work=Screen Daily |date=2001-10-01 |language=en}}</ref>
==Accolades== The film premiered at and won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2001.<ref name="BFI">{{cite news |title=Film of the Month: Dog Days (2001) |url=http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1606|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227150355/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1606 |archive-date=2017-02-27|access-date=9 November 2021 |work=BFI |date=2001}}</ref> It also received the FIPRESCI prize at the 2001 International Film Festival Bratislava.<ref name="FIPRESCI">{{cite web |title=3rd International Film Festival Bratislava |url=https://fipresci.org/festival/3rd-international-film-festival-bratislava/ |website=FIPRESCI |access-date=9 November 2021}}</ref> Maria Hofstätter was awarded best actress at the 2001 Gijón International Film Festival.<ref name="Cineuropa">{{cite news |last1=Konteas |first1=Ilias |title=Acting for Austria |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/18308 |access-date=9 November 2021 |work=Cineuropa |date=2003}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|tt0290661}} * [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dog_days/ ''Dog Days''] at Rotten Tomatoes
{{Ulrich Seidl}} {{Venice Film Festival Grand Jury Prize}}
Category:Grand Jury Prize (Venice Film Festival) winners Category:2001 German-language films Category:Films directed by Ulrich Seidl Category:2000s erotic drama films Category:Austrian drama films Category:Austrian independent films Category:2001 drama films Category:2001 Austrian films Category:2001 erotic films