Hundstage = Dog days / Kino International ; The Coproduction Office prǎsentiert eine Allegro Film produktion ; einen film von Ulrich Seidl ; produzenten, Helmut Grasser, Philippe Bober ; buch, Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz ; regie, Ulrich Seidl ; eine produktion der Allegro Film ; in zusammenarbeit mit ARTE.

This film, the debut feature by one of the world's most idiosyncratic documentary filmmakers, consists of several intersecting stories, all occurring on a sweltering summer weekend in a Viennese suburb. In the oppressive atmosphere of cookie-cutter housing tracts, manicured lawns, and logo-emblazoned strip malls, the behavior of the characters deteriorates accordingly. These include a jealous young man who torments his girlfriend, an elderly widower who tries to squeeze his housekeeper into his ex-wife's image, a divorced couple who still occupy the same house, an unscrupulous burglar-alarm salesman who creates his own business, a middle-aged teacher victimized by her sexually depraved boyfriend and his psychotic buddy, and a hitchhiker who provokes drivers with comments about sex, hygiene, and the contents of a frankfurter. Trapped in their loneliness, small time dreams and ambitions, the chemistry of human relationships is treated like cancer--enormous growths that, unchecked, lead to disease.

MPAA rating: Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, and some disturbing behavior/violence.

Maria Hofstätter, Alfred Mrva, Erich Finsches, Gerti Lehner, Franziska Weiss, René Wanko, Claudia Martini, Victor Rathbone, Christian Bakonyi, Christine Jirku, Victor Hennemann, Georg Friedrich.

Originally produced as an Austrian motion picture in 2001.