Dream Scenario: A weird, original and twisted satire

⭐⭐⭐⭐

By Rob Ryan

Professor Paul Matthews (Nicholas Cage) is having a really hard time. After years of settling for a straightforward teaching job at a local college, a beautiful house, a lovely wife (Juliane Nicholson) and two daughters, this mundane existence is about to change forever. It all starts when his youngest Sophie (Lilly Bird) has a weird dream, where she's floating in the air, whilst her father just stands in the spot doing nothing. Not anything to write home about right? But then after a night in the theatre, he bumps into his ex Claire (Marine McPhail) who tells him that "he keeps popping up in her dreams" This one follows her holding a dear friend in her arms as he's dying from a car accident and then all of a sudden, there is Paul standing their observantly and silently. Eventually, this epidemic reaches campus and many of his students are enticed with similar dreams, all involving him just being there, saying little of anything at all.

This eventually spreads to a degree that he can't control, and soon enough Paul becomes the face of every media outlet, trending topic and soundbite throughout the country, while the circumstances are indeed strange and pose more questions than answers, to Paul his new found fame is more then he could dream off, after already suffering from a mid-life crisis and wanting to expand his horizons as opposed to being a safe and boring local college professor, what better way to promote his new book that he has yet too have written. He pitches his new idea to a new publishing agency but the owner (Michael Cera) has other ideas as he already has made a deal with Sprite to make a commercial featuring Paul as their new mascot.

But Paul is about to get a lot more than be bargained for as his dreams start to take a more sinister, violent and twisted turn, it all starts when he meets Molly (Dylan Gelula) whose dream takes a more sexual approach, with Paul leading and her having the best sex ever, his students start dreaming of Paul violently murdering them in brutal and horrific ways, as a result, Paul becomes a social outcast and there is nothing he can do about it. His students start avoiding him, Sophie acts cold around him, his wife starts getting dirty looks at work and even his old friend Richard (Dylan Baker) doesn't want him in his house as his wife dreamed of him strangling her to death.

Krisioffer Borgli's Dream Scenario plays out as a cautionary tale about the price of fame, the feeling it gives you of feeling whole and worthy, one of which Paul exploits for his own self interest but not before highlighting some of its more ugly side effects, From house break-ins, vandalism of your personal property, being recognised in the street and all the ugly encounters that ensue as people start to judge before they even know you. This allows Paul to lash out and feel resentful, and he is not completely invalid for that, why should he be asked to leave a cafe, just because people had dreams about him that don't reflect his character? But the dreams could either be a prophecy or are just simply unrelated, for all people know, Paul is a ticking time bomb that is about to unleash his violent self, and this situation gets him closer and closer to resembling the monster in people's dreams.

This is a movie about many things, how cruel and apathetic we can be when individuals stand in the spotlight regardless if they deserve it or not, how fame eventually dies out and people over time move on, how mass hysteria and word of mouth can lead to violent and unfortunate outcomes. How your image is soon co-opted by companies looking to make a big milestone, how you no longer have control of your image, your life and what happens to you and on top of that it's about a loss of a simple, perfect existence that Paul never knew he had until it was all gone. With all this in mind, despite the intensity, cruelty and the madness Paul has experienced, Dream Scenario morphs into a bitter-sweet tale of loving what you have and what you don't have. At the start, he craved the appreciation of others the same way his fellow academics have through writing their books and getting their name out there. Paul finally got what he wanted but not in the way he intended and now he has to live with it for the rest of his life.

Nicolas Cage. what is there to say about him? After years of settling for manic roles that only he can play, to low quality straight to demand shlock, here he finally plays a role that he can properly sink his teeth into. He plays Paul as outgoing but ordinary and at times socially awkward, a man that can resemble someone we all know at some point in our lives, he knows when to speak his mind but sometimes never knows when to stop or do the right thing. It's a role unlike we are used to seeing him in and he embodies the character effortlessly. At certain points watching this, I forgot I was watching a man who himself is known for many internet memes, notorious movie quotes and outrageous performances. He is phenomenal.

Dream Scenario is also a polished and confident effort from Writer-director and editor Krisoffer Borgli who has only ever directed one other movie prior. Cinematographer Benjamin Loeb's use of grainy old film makes the film feel timeless in spite of its contemporary setting. The use of sound design and the way information is conveyed gives the movie a more distinct personality and the oddly comedic score from Owen Pallett provides a sense of levity without downplaying the seriousness of some scenes.

The film can risk overstaying its welcome and can feel unfocused at certain points. The film never quite succeeds as a comedy despite a few chuckle-worthy moments due to the uncomfortable nature the story develops but the movie is a testament to fun and enjoyable original filmmaking that is still present regardless of being overshadowed by big budget tentpole releases. The dialogue is snappy and enjoyable, you are never fully sure where it is going and all the cast member's performances are on point. Especially Cage and his Chemistry with Juliane Nicholson which is one of the few moments of genuine comfort Paul and us are allowed to experience before his life takes a full 180. The movie isn't an easy watch at points but this is at the very least worth a peak.

Dream Scenario is out in UK cinemas.