Dream Scenario | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Kristoffer Borgli |
Written by | Kristoffer Borgli |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Benjamin Loeb |
Edited by | Kristoffer Borgli |
Music by | Owen Pallett |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $12.4 million [2] |
Dream Scenario is a 2023 American black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli. It is produced by Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen under their Square Peg banner, alongside Nicolas Cage, Jacob Jaffke, and Tyler Campellone. It stars Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula, and Dylan Baker. Cage plays Paul Matthews, a mild-mannered evolutionary biology professor who begins appearing in the dreams of others.
Dream Scenario premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023, and began a limited theatrical release by A24 on November 10, 2023, before expanding on November 22. It received positive reviews and was nominated for awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Nicolas Cage.
Sophie, a teenage girl, has a dream in which a man is raking leaves by a swimming pool. As Sophie starts floating up to the sky, she cries for help from this man whom she calls Dad. Her father, Paul Matthews, is a professor of evolutionary biology at a local university.
When Paul learns a former colleague is writing an article on a topic he had discussed with her many years earlier, he seeks to confront her but instead begs her for some recognition. Paul's journalist ex-girlfriend, Claire, spots him with his wife, Janet, and tells him he appears in her dreams. With his permission, she writes an article about the experience. Soon, hundreds of strangers come forward to recognize Paul from their dreams. While Paul enjoys the media coverage this brings, he is frustrated by his depiction in the dreams as passive and uninteresting. In impromptu interviews with some of his students, Paul learns that in the dreams, oftentimes calamity occurs or the dreamers ask for help, but Paul is passive or emotionless and does not intervene.
Paul's wife, Janet, asks why he does not appear in her dreams. She describes her fantasy: Paul rescues her while wearing the oversized suit worn by David Byrne in the 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense . Later that evening, a mentally ill man who has seen Paul in his dreams breaks into their house with a knife, raising concerns about the risks of his fame.
Paul meets with a public relations firm, hoping to get a book deal, but they attempt to convince him to advertise Sprite on social media. After a beautiful young assistant at the firm, Molly, tells him about her erotic dreams about him, he attempts to reenact them for her but suffers premature ejaculation and leaves, humiliated.
Paul is enraged to learn that the former colleague has published a high-profile paper on the subject he was thinking of writing his book about. His presence in people's dreams becomes violent and sadistic, and he becomes vilified. He is placed on leave after students refuse to attend his classes. Bystanders begin to notice Paul in public and are bothered by his presence, resulting in a brawl in a diner. After Janet's career is affected, she asks Paul to issue a public apology, but he angrily refuses.
After Paul has a nightmare in which he is hunted and killed by a version of himself wielding a crossbow, he releases a self-pitying apology video. Humiliated, Janet throws him out of the house. Paul forces his way into his daughter's school play, but accidentally injures a teacher in the process and is restrained. He becomes further vilified.
Sometime later, the dreams have stopped. Paul's dream experience led to the discovery of a shared subconsciousness, and dreams have become an advertising space through the use of technology. Janet is separated from Paul and is dating a co-worker. Paul travels to France for a book tour to promote his book Dream Scenario. He learns it has been retitled Je suis ton cauchemar ("I Am Your Nightmare") without his consent, that the book is pitifully thin in the translated volume, and that his signing event has been moved to the dingy basement of the bookstore. Nevertheless, fans line up for his signed copies. Paul uses dream-travel technology to attempt to enter one of Janet's dreams and rescue her while wearing the Byrne suit. As he floats away, much like how Sophie did in the very first dream, Paul declares that he wishes the dream were reality.
A24 announced the film in August 2022, [4] with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Kate Berlant, Dylan Baker and Dylan Gelula to be included in the cast. [5]
Principal photography commenced in Toronto in October 2022 and wrapped that November. [6] [7]
The movie was shot on analogue 16 mm (Super 16) film with the Arriflex 416 Plus camera before being transferred to a 4k digital intermediate in postproduction. [8]
Dream Scenario premiered as the opening film in the Platform Prize program at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023. [9] [10] [11] A24 distributed it in the United States with a limited release on November 10, 2023, followed by an expanded release on November 22. [12] [5] Distribution in Canada, New Zealand and Australia was handled by VVS Films. [13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 91% of 233 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Come to Dream Scenario for career-highlight work from Nicolas Cage—and leave mulling over everything it has to say about pop culture's fickle whims." [14] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [15]
Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the film "a bold statement that is bound to make a name" for Borgli. [16] Peter Bradshaw, in his review of the film in The Guardian , called it "very enjoyable" and a "smart film about the uncanny experience of fame." [17] Peter Debruge of Variety noted that "Borgli shoots the dreams no different from the waking moments, creating a kind of mind game for audiences, who must determine at any given moment whether the scene in question is real or imagined." [18]
Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote that the film is "often funny and frequently surreal" but said that Borgli had "more ideas than space to execute them," leading to a third act that feels "overloaded and indecisive of where it wants to land." Catsoulis also wrote that the erotic scene between Paul and Molly "could make you want to put your eyes out." [19]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Critics' Choice Super Awards | April 4, 2024 | Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Nicolas Cage | Won | [20] |
Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [21] | |
Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Dream Scenario | Nominated | [22] |
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Nicolas Cage | Nominated | |||
Nicolas Kim Coppola, known by his stage name Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards. Known for his versatility as an actor, his participation in various film genres has gained him a cult following.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.
Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor. He is known for frequently portraying awkward, shy, quirky, and offbeat characters on stage and screen. Over his career he has received include nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award.
Ghost Rider is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it was produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, Crystal Sky Pictures, and Relativity Media, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film stars Nicolas Cage as the titular character, with Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue, Matt Long, and Peter Fonda in supporting roles. Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman sells his soul and becomes a bounty hunter of evil demons: the Ghost Rider.
Nicholas Joseph Braun is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Hirsch in the HBO series Succession (2018–2023), for which he has received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He has also appeared in several films, including Sky High (2005), Princess Protection Program (2009), Red State (2011), Prom (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Watch (2012), Date and Switch (2014), How to Be Single (2016), Zola (2021) and Cat Person (2023).
Paper Heart is a 2009 American romantic comedy film starring Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera as fictionalized versions of themselves based on their rumored relationship, though Yi has said they never dated.
Our Idiot Brother is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. The script was written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall based on Jesse and Evgenia Peretz's story, and tells the story of a dimwitted but idealistic and well-meaning man who intrudes and wreaks havoc in his three sisters' lives.
A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The company is based in Manhattan.
Nicolas Cage is an American actor whose career began with a role in the 1981 television pilot The Best of Times. The following year, Cage made his feature film acting debut with a minor role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the second and last time he went by his birth name Nicolas Coppola, which he changed professionally to avoid allegations of nepotism due to his connection to the Coppola family. In 1983, Cage starred in the teen romantic comedy Valley Girl alongside Deborah Foreman and had a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish.
Dylan Nicole Gelula is an American actress who is best known for her role of Xanthippe on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as her work in independent film. Gelula made her film debut as the lead actress in romantic drama film First Girl I Loved (2016) and has since acted in the films Flower (2017), Support the Girls (2018), Her Smell (2018), Shithouse (2020), and Dream Scenario (2023).
Support the Girls is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. It stars Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, James LeGros, Shayna McHayle, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer, John Elvis, Lea DeLaria, and Victor Isaac Perez.
Ari Aster is an American filmmaker. Having garnered some initial recognition for the short film The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011), he became best known for writing and directing Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and Beau Is Afraid (2023), all of which were released by A24. His films have been noted for their unsettling combination of horror, dark comedy, and depictions of graphic violence. In 2018, he co-founded the production company Square Peg with Danish producer Lars Knudsen.
Renfield is a 2023 American action comedy horror film directed by Chris McKay and written by Ryan Ridley, based on a story by Robert Kirkman, who also served as a producer alongside McKay, Samantha Nisenboim, David Alpert, and the duo of Bryan and Sean Furst. Inspired by characters from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the film stars Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez, and Nicolas Cage.
Pig is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, from a story by Vanessa Block and Sarnoski. The film stars Nicolas Cage as a truffle-hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness and must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped. It also stars Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin.
Willy's Wonderland is a 2021 American action comedy horror film directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay written by G. O. Parsons. The film stars Nicolas Cage, who also served as producer, along with Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, David Sheftell and Beth Grant. It follows a quiet drifter who is tricked into cleaning up an abandoned family entertainment center inhabited by eight murderous animatronic characters who are possessed with the souls of a cannibalistic killer and his seven psychotic colleagues.
When You Finish Saving the World is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg in his feature directorial debut. The film is based on Eisenberg's 2020 audio drama of the same name. Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard star as a mother and son who navigate their contentious relationship while trying to connect with other people. Jay O. Sanders, Alisha Boe, Billy Bryk, and Eleonore Hendricks also star. The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was released by A24 in the United States on January 20, 2023, to generally positive reviews.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a 2022 American comedy horror film directed by Halina Reijn. Its screenplay is written by Sarah DeLappe from a story by Kristen Roupenian. It stars Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson. At a house party, a friend group plays a murder in the dark-style game called Bodies Bodies Bodies, which quickly turns dark.
Kristoffer Borgli is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter. He is known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed feature Dream Scenario (2023), starring Nicolas Cage.