Character Relationship Map: When Animals Dream

Characters

• Marie (played by Sonia Suhl) — protagonist

  A shy sixteen-year-old girl living in a remote Danish fishing village. She develops a strange chest rash and begins sprouting hair, while enduring bullying from coworkers at a fish processing plant. H...

• Thor (played by Lars Mikkelsen) — protagonist

  Marie’s father lives with her and her ill mother. He suggests that the mother may have killed the Russians after they did something to her, though he cannot clarify the details. After investigators ar...

• Mother (played by Sonja Richter) — supporting

  Marie’s ill, catatonic mother needs regular injections and has a condition that Dr. Larsen identifies as the same disease Marie has. Marie struggles to manage her during a difficult episode, while a c...

• Felix (played by Mads Riisom) — supporting

  Felix shows Marie the routines when she starts work at the fish-processing plant. Later, after Esben is killed, he wakes Marie and tells her the others are looking for her. He promises to find a boat...

• Daniel (played by Jakob Oftebro) — supporting

  Daniel approaches Marie while she is working at the fish-processing plant, but his teasing about her mother contributes to her distress. Marie later tries to be intimate with him; when his touch frigh...

• Dr. Larsen (played by Stig Hoffmeyer) — supporting

  Dr. Larsen examines Marie and initially finds no obvious cause for her symptoms. Later, he tells her she has the same disease as her mother, warns that it may cause thick hair growth and aggression, a...

• Esben (played by Gustav Dyekjær Giese) — minor

  Esben is among the coworkers who make Marie feel unwelcome at the fish-processing plant. He is later killed, and his death prompts Felix to wake Marie and warn her that the others are looking for her....

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Marie → Daniel (Unsettled Romantic Interest)

  Daniel approaches Marie, and she later tries to be intimate with him; when he touches her, she becomes frightened and demands that he leave.

• Marie → Dr. Larsen (Professional Doctor And Patient)

  Dr. Larsen examines Marie, later tells her she has the same disease as Mother, and urges her to take medicine.

• Thor → Mother (Family Husband And Wife)

  Thor lives with his catatonic wife, Mother, and Marie at home.

• Marie → Thor (Family Daughter And Father)

  Marie speaks with her father, Thor, about whether Mother may have killed the Russians, and Thor warns that he cannot protect Marie if she leaves the h...

• Marie → Mother (Family Daughter And Mother)

  Marie cares for her ill Mother at home, and Dr. Larsen tells Marie that she has the same disease as Mother.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Marie → Esben (Conflict Hostile Coworkers)

  At the fish-processing plant, Esben and others make Marie feel unwelcome; later, Esben is killed.

• Marie → Felix (Alliance Potential Escape Allies)

  Felix wakes Marie after Esben is killed, tells her others are looking for her, and promises to get a boat so they can escape together.

Story Analysis

Marie confronts a frightening illness connected to her mother while isolation, family secrets, and danger close in around her.

Plot Progression

1. Symptoms and a Hostile Workplace
2. A Diagnosis and an Old Fear
3. Family Secrets Surface
4. Investigation and Interrupted Escape