Dreams
Filmmaker Michel Franco’s Dreams follows a wealthy socialite who has a scandalous affair with a young undocumented ballet dancer. Their dangerous relationship has ripple effects that will appall.
Dreams opens with a horrific scene of abandoned Mexican migrants locked in the back of a truck. Fernando, once let out, makes his way to his lover’s home in San Francisco. Jennifer is a divorced trust fund baby who uses her position at her ballet company to string Fernando along with promises of a greencard, all while keeping their torrid affair behind closed doors. A determined Fernando runs back to her arms over and over in hopes that he can one day be a principal dancer in the company in the US.
Some of the most beautiful and compelling scenes are the rehearsals. Gorgeously lit, effortlessly shot, and emotionally grounding, you cannot take your eyes off Fernando, in particular. Halfway through the film, a dance mirrors the highs of their relationship dynamic in a poetic way. Bravo to the intimacy coordinator (which the film does not credit), the sex scenes have the most electric chemistry and choreography.
Isaác Hernández is extraordinary in his body. The camera loves him. Jessica Chastain is intentionally cold. Dreams is a film about power. Jennifer’s loneliness is only equal to her need to possess Fernando on her terms. She pushes boundaries both physical and emotional, playing on Fernando’s financial desperation and naivety. Her love is circumstantial, even if she believes otherwise. She’s a villain. The audience will undoubtedly loathe her, and Chastain and Franco understand that.
The tone is uneven. The first half feels like strangers communicating with each other. The second half is better, but remains at arm’s length. The final act gives Fernando the opportunity for much-deserved vengeance. It is, admittedly, a clever attempt at turning the tables. In the end, Dreams is more horror than a love story. It will break your heart.
Dreams Trailer:
Releasing Theatrically on February 27
SYNOPSIS:
A powerful socialite (Academy Award® winner Jessica Chastain) and a promising ballet dancer (Isaac Hernández) begin a dangerous affair. When he secretly crosses the US-Mexico border, she takes desperate measures to protect their future together. A tense, erotic drama from acclaimed director Michel Franco (Memory, New Order).
DIRECTED BY Michel Franco
WRITTEN BY Michel Franco
PRODUCED BY Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Alexander Rodnyansky
CAST Jessica Chastain, Isaác Hernández, Rupert Friend, Marshall Bell, Eligio Meléndez, Mercedes Hernández
Run Time: 121 minutes
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Oscar winner
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Brittany O’Grady owns this role. Emily is in almost every shot, and O’Grady powers through unresolved trauma with ferocity. This fearless portrayal of a daughter dying for answers will pull you in. There is an undeniable gravity to this performance.
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Genre: Thriller/Horror
Ian Kimble brings a laugh-out-loud murder mystery, DEAD GIVEAWAY, to the Philadelphia Film Festival. After waking up hungry, with a hangover and a murdered stranger in her bed, Jill’s (Ruby Modine) day spirals into chaos as she navigates a tied-up man in her closet, an unconscious roommate, and a knife to her best friend’s neck. The goal? To get to brunch by 3:00 pm.
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FANTASTIC PITCHES 
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