DREAM SCENARIO

US, 2023, 102 minutes, Colour.

Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, all The Lily Bird, Jessica Clement, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Baker.

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli.

Dream scenario

Social Media scenario

Celebrity scenario

Fame never asked for scenario

Trauma scenario

Paranoia conspiracy

Conspiracy Theory scenario

Reputation scenario

Persecution scenario

Lynching scenario

Faustian pact scenario

Collective Unconscious scenario

Mediocrity scenario

Inceptionistic scenario

Capitalistic exploitation scenario

Notoriety scenario

All of the above, dramatised quite strikingly by Swedish writer-director, Kristoffer Borgli (Worst Person in the World, Skin I’m In). This film is clever, initially humorous, deadly serious (often literally), satirical, moralising, and allegory of how we live in the social media age of the 21^st-century and where it might lead us.

Praise to Nicholas Cage for his different performance, although for 40 years he has shown a great variety of talent, even if in more recent times he has opted for slam bang action shows. Here he is a quiet Prof at a small university, teaching evolutionary biology, two teenage daughters, with their problems, and are taken for granted wife, Julianne Nicholson.

Promotion of the film means that most of us know that he starts appearing in other people’s dreams, much to his surprise, feeling very uncomfortable, then discovering comfort in being something of a celebrity. But, this is the social media age, this is a paranoia here are, we live in a world of conspiracy theories – and the quiet Professor becomes a nightmare aggressor, real-life target and victim.

The narrative doesn’t go entirely in the way that is predictable. Rather, it dramatises all the scenarios mentioned above, the Prof’s life changed, his dream of a book on biology transformed into a sensationalised pop-seller on the celebrity of notoriety.

Dreams have always been popular staple of cinema. Nightmares is well – and the Prof is likened to Freddy Krueger, slasher she is attached for a photo shoot. And, just as we might have been distracting ourselves from the paranoid shenanigans, wondering about the Collective Unconscious and what card you might have made of Dream Scenario, he does get a mention. Which means that the drama is a clever play on the Collective Unconscious, at its worst.

And, Inception? Layers of dreams, people entering the different layers, dream shaping the characters – and, while it is treated as something of a hoot, part of the climax of capturing Scenario is an enterprising youngster creating a means for anyone to attach a product to their wrists and wish themselves into other people’s dreams.

A lot to interest, a lot to entertain, a lot to question – in the hope that the film has a dream run!

1. The title? Dreams? Tradition of dreams in films? Reality? Fantasy? Happy dreams? Not nightmares? Real characters in dreams?
2. References to the Collective Unconscious, Carl Jung? A sinister interpretation of the Collective Unconscious?
3. The use of the word scenario? The range of scenarios throughout the film, dreams, celebrity, nightmares, persecution, a Faustian pact with commercialism, fame and failure?
4. The Swedish director, perspective, right, humour?
5. Nicolas Cage, a different performance, more restrained? His appearance, bald, the beard? Quietly spoken, academic? Problems with the two daughters? Taken for granted support of his wife? The lectures, evolutionary biology, the students talking, is using the metaphor? His friendship with the Dean? An ordinary life?
6. The initial dreams, his daughters, friends, his presence, passing by, situations, not intervening?
7. The various encounters, people recognising him at restaurants, in the street? The huge number of people dreaming? The lecture, the crowds, the various stories? His becoming famous, throughout the world, social media, celebrity, the interviews, his wanting to write his biology book? The company, “Thoughts Thoughts”, the young Chairman, the talent scouts, the meeting, the commercial talk and jargon, Paul misunderstanding?
8. The change in tone, his aggression in dreams, fears, students not coming, frightened? The Freddy Krueger references? His becoming a hate figure?
9. The consequences at home, his wife and the celebrity, initial wariness, support, the daughters and their reactions?
10. Conspiracy theories, messages online, his becoming a hate-figure? The incident in the diner, hostile response, spitting in his meal? People in the street? His daughters and school, the authorities and not wanting him present, at the performance, his going, wanting to get in, the struggle with the teacher, the violence, the accident, everybody turning on him?
11. Separation from his wife, going to Paris, the Thoughts Thoughts Chairman, the book launch, in the basement, the pop book on his being a nightmare?
12. The young inventor, the brace on the arm, being able to enter other people’s dreams? A variation on Inception?
13. A variation on: What does it profit to gain the whole world and lose one’s soul?