Summary
- Dream Scenario is a satirical film that explores the dark side of fame and cancel culture through the story of an average man who becomes the center of attention when strangers all over the world start dreaming about him.
- The film examines how the protagonist, Paul, initially enjoys the newfound attention but soon faces the consequences of being seen as a monster in people's nightmares. It comments on cancel culture and raises questions about the fairness of Paul's "cancelation" for something he didn't actively do.
- Despite some muddiness in its commentary on cancel culture, Dream Scenario shines through strong lead performances by Nicolas Cage and Julianne Nicholson.
Dreams have an interesting place in cinema. The very nature of dreams is that they are self-made narratives written by the subconscious. They can represent many facets of the human experience. A Nightmare on Elm Street makes them the playground for our deadliest fears made manifest. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind drew the parallels between dreams and memories. Inception used the concept of dreams as a metaphor for the filmmaking process. In director Kristoffer Borgli's film Dream Scenario, dreams are meant to explore another aspect of human society: celebrity and, building off of that, cancel culture.
Borgli pulls triple duty on Dream Scenario as he is not only the film's director but also the writer and editor. The film stars Nicolas Cageas Paul Matthews, an average, unassuming, tenured college professor who lives with his wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and two daughters. Often overlooked and feeling underappreciated by everyone around him, Paul's life is turned upside down when, one day, strangers all over the world start dreaming about him, even if they've never met him. Paul becomes a celebrity overnight, and the movie examines what happens when an average man becomes the center of attention to the entire world.
Dream Scenario Loses the Thread
Dream Scenario
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
- Director
- Kristoffer Borgli
- Cast
- Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Jessica Clement
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 1hr 40min
- Main Genre
- Comedy
Dream Scenario is a very simple pitch, one that sounds like the prompt for many creative writing classes: What happens to a normal man if everyone dreams about him? This could easily make for a good short story, but in expanding it into a feature-length film, the story now becomes an examination of fame and the peaks and valleys of being a celebrity, including its dark side.
While Paul loves the newfound attention and hopes to spin it off into some successes, he is also upset with how passive he is in people's dreams. He does not understand why he does not do anything in them and wants to be seen as taking more action. Eventually, his role in the dreams becomes far more active, to the point where people have nightmares about him killing them. This makes people afraid of him, and his entire image becomes that of a monster; many of his students drop his class, he is harassed in public spaces, and is unwelcome by many.
The movie shifts gear into commenting on cancel culture, yet this is where the parallel sort of begins to be stretched a bit too thin. The film seems to have a hard time grappling with Paul's actions in this part of the film. Paul is "canceled" for something he did not do and has no control over, and he points this out, but the movie frames his actions as selfish. Unlike many canceled celebrities who actively caused harm to other people and then dealt with the consequences of their actions, Paul is innocent of any real wrongdoing at first. While he does not take other people's feelings into consideration, and the actions of his fallout are his to atone for, it is hard to argue that he isn't somewhat in the right to point out that he didn't actively do anything that people are upset at him for.
Cancel Culture Is... Bad?
Interestingly, the film seems to acknowledge this thematic confusion as, at one point, Paul's PR team (led by Michael Cera in a very funny turn by the actor) wants to try to pivot Paul into becoming an "anti-cancel culture" figurehead and tries to book him on right-wing talk shows and even a guest appearance on Joe Rogan. Paul turns it down as he does not want to be a mascot in a culture war, so both he and the movie understand that the type of person who paints themselves as a victim of cancel culture is often making a strategic move for their own career.
Although, in many ways, Cage's performance, with his balding headpiece and goofy mannerisms, trying to be cool but coming off more as pathetic, feels like both his and the movie's commentary on the often sad, pathetic men who make themselves out to be victims.
This makes the film's commentary on cancel culture very muddied. Now, a story's metaphor can sometimes get mixed up and not translate one to one and still work. A great recent example is Pixar's surprise hit Elemental, whose different cultures and elements might get metaphorically muddied but still works due to the strength of the central characters and love story. Dream Scenario gets close to that, but at times, it feels like they forgo the character's relationships and feelings for a joke about celebrity culture.
Nicolas Cage and Julianne Nicholson Are Great
That being said, despite losing a bit of the thread, what brings Dream Scenario back is the lead performances by Cage and Nicholson. Cage is allowed to cut loose with Paul, giving him all the neuroticisms and character quirks that Cage loves bringing to roles, and here they add up to show how an ordinary man can react to newfound attention. Yet it is Nicholson, playing his wife, who anchors the picture.
On paper, this could be just another put-upon wife figure to the main character, but Nicholson gives the character an agency all her own. She clearly loves her husband and cares for him, but as the film progresses, it is apparent the relationship is slowly being chipped away. With just subtle glances and mannerisms, Nicholson shows someone who is thrust into a situation she did not ask for as she deals with a partner who does not take her feelings into account, to the extent that it eats away at her marriage. Her naturalistic style makes for a perfect contrast to Cage's more over-the-top choices, as it grounds the performance and sells the growing divide between them.
The film features a lot of great small performances by various character actors, filling out the supporting cast. Tim Meadows shows up as a straight-faced college dean, while Michael Cera is having plenty of fun as a vapid ad executive, Trent, trying to capitalize on Paul's newfound celebrity. Yet the two funniest performances are Cera's co-stars in that scene: Kate Berlant as his partner Mary and Dylan Gelula as Molly, his assistant.
Kate Berlant has been a funny stand-up comedian who has popped up in various minor supporting roles, like the ticket taker in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and here, with just one scene, she gives some incredibly funny facial reactions that are some of the best in the movie. Meanwhile, Dylan Gelula's character is meant to tempt Paul and test his marriage as she has rather graphic but humorous sexual dreams about Paul that make for easily the movie's funniest scene.
Dreamlike Visuals
Borgli acting as director, writer, and editor really works in the film's favor, as he has complete stylistic control over the flow of the story. Borgli has a tenor and style he wants to convey for the movie. Early on, the dream scenes are obvious as the movie has people begin by explaining a dream before it cuts to it, and the film has a great time playing with the surreal imagery found in dream logic. Horrific and odd scenes contrasted by Nicolas Cage just walking into a moment are deliberately off-putting and humorous.
As the film progresses, the lines between reality and dream begin to blur, so the audience is left wondering if each scene is a dream or reality. It makes the viewer question if the entire movie is a dream or if, at any point, the film has shifted into a long dream that the main character has yet to wake up from. The movie never provides an answer to this or why everyone is dreaming about Paul. Wisely, it realizes not to get bogged down in the mechanics of that because that is not important; it is just a jumping-off point for the story, which skips right to the interesting part.
Like a Dream, There's Much to Interpret and Discuss
Dream Scenario might falter in its overall satirical message, but the film makes up for it thanks to an all-in performance by Nicolas Cage, who is supported by a great cast, particularly Julianne Nicholson. Borgli shows his talents as a filmmaker by conveying stunning visual spectacle with a small budget and is a rather interesting look at a high-concept premise realized through a mid-budget picture. It certainly leaves the viewer with a lot to ponder and a lot to discuss. Dream Scenario is funny and sweet at moments, which helps carry it through its shortcomings.
From A24, Dream Scenario opens in theaters on November 10, 2023.
Comments
Post a Comment