Tierische Liebe

In Animal Love, Ulrich Seidl reveals the role pets play in human lives. More even than a human partner, pets act as partners, confidants, support and helpmeets, and even lovers. All roles the pet owner it seems is unable to fill within a human relationship. In presenting this in this way, Seidl mainly raises questions, without seeking to give answers. What does this say about human relationships? Is this a surrogate for a lack of love, devotion and affection?

Ulrich Seidl: "It’s true that my films are pessimistic (…) It’s simply that pessimism comes from observing how humans live together, the reality of how we live together."

"The original idea for the film was very radical: I imagined a film in which a man or a woman do with their pet all the things that a married couple would do: talk, eat, cuddle, give each other attention, go to bed together. And in the entire film there would be no communication between people."

Scandal

In 1994 Seidl's third feature sparked a scandal in Austria and garnered bad reviews, but abroad it became an acclaimed cult film. Even today Animal Love is seen as one of the most disturbing films in the Seidl universe. "Never in the movies have I looked so directly into hell," commented Werner Herzog uponviewing the film.