Dog Days

REVIEW
If Norman Rockwell grew up watching Tarantino and John Waters, he might have ended up with suburban portraits like those in the improvised yet intricately mannered Dog Days. In delving into the sordid lives of six marginally connected groups of down-and-out Austrians, director Siedl paints indelible portraits with the darkest tinge of black comedy. Most memorable are a chatterbox hitchhiker who possesses little social decorum (eventually meeting a horrifying fate), and an aged widower who dresses his frumpy housemaid in his late wife's dresses in an attempt to fill the void in his life. Like 21 Grams (which came later), the stories jump back and forth seemingly at random, eventually making sense at the end. It can be an exhausting process, but with characters this fascinating, it's one that's most rewarding. The rich color cinematography by Wolfgang Thaler is mesmerizing.